Demonstrations continue in Burma against the military coup.
The Burmese police fired rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators and proceeded to new arrests, Saturday February 27, during a new rally in Yangon to demand the return of democracy, according to an AFP journalist on the spot.
Hundreds of demonstrators from the Mon ethnic group had gathered to commemorate the Mon national holiday, joined by other ethnic minority groups protesting against the coup.
Police arrived to clear the crossroads, pursuing protesters and journalists, who ran to hide in nearby buildings.
"What are the police doing? They are protecting a mad dictator," chanted the demonstrators.
They dispersed into narrower residential streets and began building makeshift barricades with barbed wire and tables to stop the police.
Local reporters broadcast chaotic scenes live on Facebook, including the times when gunfire rang out.
It is not known whether live ammunition was used, as police chased protesters and journalists from the Myaynigone intersection.
On Friday, a one-hour clash on Friday had taken place at the same location.
Three journalists are among those arrested on Saturday.
The country has been rocked by a wave of pro-democracy protests since the military coup that overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
"We're going to try to find another way to protest - of course we're afraid of their crackdown," said Moe Moe, a 23-year-old protester, using a pseudonym.
"We want to fight until we win," he added.
With AFP
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