A third consecutive day of nationwide protests is expected on Monday, with marches planned in Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw, where ousted leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint are being detained.
Hundreds of thousands attended protests at the weekend, according to an estimate by the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, to call for the end of the military dictatorship that seized power in a coup last week.
The protests so far have been peaceful with no major confrontations with the authorities. But police fired shots in the air at a rally in Myawaddy, near the Thai border, to disperse marchers on Sunday.
Organizers hope these protests will evolve into a revolution that attracts members of the public from all different ages and backgrounds, with the eventual goal of shutting down the entire government bureaucracy.
“We don’t want this to be nipped in the bud. We are trying to build up a general strike so that we can tear down the military dictatorship,” Ei Thinzar Maung, an activist and former parliamentary candidate, told Myanmar Now.
Protestors have been careful to avoid confrontations with the police, with many demonstrators offering flowers, snacks and water to riot officers.
Min Ko Naing, a veteran of the 1988 uprising who quickly popped up and disappeared amid the crowds in downtown Yangon on Sunday, has appealed to all the civil servants to stop working and join the protests.
Demonstrators will once again rally at intersections in Hledan, Yankin and Tamwe before marching to Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon from 9am.
In Naypyidaw, protesters plan to march from starting points in at least eight townships to the Thabyay Kone roundabout, and then to the Presidential Office, where ousted President Win Myint was arrested before being taken and placed under house arrest in government residential quarters.
Kyi Toe, an information officer for the National League for Democracy, has said AUng San Suu Kyi is also under house arrest in Naypyitaw, but that he is unclear about the whereabouts of party stalwart Win Htein, who was detained on Thursday night.
Other protests are scheduled on Monday in Monywa and Chaung Oo in Sagaing region as well as Pathein and Kangyi Dauk in Ayeyarwady region. Crowds will also rally in front of city hall in Nyaungshwe, Shan state, and in the Kayah state capital of Loikaw.
Many protestors fear that police and military will respond to the demonstrations with violence, as they did during uprisings in 2007 and 1988. They believe the military is biding its time, letting the public vent its anger about the coup, before launching a crackdown.
