Pro-democracy protesters took to the streets in Burma again on Saturday, March 6, the day after a new meeting of the UN Security Council divided on the response to the "desperate appeals" of the population.
The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military overthrew and arrested elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, with daily protests and strikes blocking the economy and administration .
Sporadic protests were staged across the country on Saturday and local media reported that police used tear gas and stun grenades to break up a rally in Yangon, the country's largest city.
No injuries were reported.
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More than 50 protesters have been killed since the coup, including at least 38 on Wednesday, according to the United Nations.
Protesters demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and respect for the November elections, won by the leader's party but rejected by the military.
The strike calls are having a significant impact on some sectors of the country's already very fragile economy, with banks unable to function, hospitals closed and ministerial offices empty.
State media urged officials to return to work, failing which "they will be sacked from March 8".
The body of a victim exhumed by the authorities
Internet shutdowns, waves of arrests, recourse to lethal force: the putschist generals are more determined than ever to extinguish the wind of revolt blowing over the country.
Two 18-year-old victims were buried on Saturday.
“There will be no forgiveness for you until the end of the world,” sang the crowd.
The day before, the coffins of three others were draped in Aung San Suu Kyi's party red flag during their funerals.
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According to local media reports, the body of another victim, Kyal Sin - who became an icon because she was wearing a t-shirt that read "Everything will be fine" when she was shot - has been exhumed by authorities. examined it before putting it back in the ground, sparking outrage on social media.
State media questioned the teenager's death by the police or the military, going so far as to ensure that, in general, the security forces "were not associated" to the deaths of demonstrators.
International divisions
Nothing swayed the generals, who also took advantage of divisions in the international community.
The UN Security Council, meeting on Friday, failed to agree on a joint declaration.
Negotiations on a text are to continue next week, according to diplomatic sources.
"We are ready to consider international sanctions in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations if the situation continues to deteriorate," said British Ambassador Barbara Woodward after the meeting, organized on the initiative of the United Nations. United Kingdom.
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Coercive measures have been announced by the United States and the European Union, but observers urge to go further with an international embargo on arms deliveries, a decision which requires the agreement of all Council members.
However, Beijing and Moscow, traditional allies of the Burmese army and exporters of arms in the country, refuse to speak of "coup", the Chinese press agency evoking at the beginning of February a simple "ministerial reshuffle".
Our country wants to be "a friendly neighbor," Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said on Friday, warning against sanctions that would only "worsen tensions or further complicate the situation."
Hundreds of "desperate appeals"
The other regional neighbors make little voice.
Singapore, first investor in the country, was the only one to raise the tone, evoking through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, "a national disgrace".
But the head of diplomacy also estimated that any external pressure on the generals would have little impact.
In this context, it seems unlikely that the call for "unity", launched by the UN envoy for Burma, Christine Schraner Burgener, will be heard.
"How much longer can we let the Burma Army get away with this?" She said on Friday, according to a copy of her remarks seen by Reuters.
"It is essential that this advice be resolute and coherent in order to warn the security forces and stand firmly on the side of the Burmese people, in favor of the clear results of the November elections," she added.
"The hope that (the Burmese) have placed in the United Nations and its members is diminishing," also lamented Christine Schraner Burgener, saying she receives hundreds of "desperate appeals" daily from mothers, students and the elderly.
More than 1,700 people have been arrested since the putsch, including around 30 journalists.
Faced with the deterioration of the situation, the Burmese started to flee to take refuge in neighboring India, including three police officers refusing to take part in the repression, according to the Indian police force.
Solicited, the junta, which disputes the result of the November elections won overwhelmingly by the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, did not respond to multiple requests from AFP or Reuters.
With AFP and Reuters
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