In the wake of deadly protest against the coup that ousted a democratically elected government in the country, the military government in Myanmar has imposed martial law in some districts across the country.
Since February, protesters have been demanding the release of civilian leader, Aung San Kyi. This led to the death of 50 people who were reportedly killed when troops and police opened fire on protesters in various areas last Sunday. Most deaths were in Yangon.
San Kyi heads the National League for Democracy (NLD) which saw a landslide victory in elections last November, but the military detained most of the NLD leadership after the coup, alleging voter fraud and has refused to provide any proof of fraud.
Suu Kyi has been held at an unknown location since the 1 February coup. She is due to face a slew of charges her supporters say are fabricated.
On Monday, she was due to appear in court, but the virtual hearing was adjourned due to internet problems.
The military initially declared martial law in two districts of Yangon (Rangoon), the country’s largest city, on Sunday after Chinese businesses were attacked.
Martial law was imposed in several other areas of Yangon and Mandalay on Monday. Protesters there can now be tried in military courts.
Protesters believe China is giving support to the military in Myanmar (also called Burma) but it is unclear who was behind the weekend attacks.
In total, more than 120 protesters have been killed during the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.
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