- Ten people were arrested for participating in the clapping protest in Yangon.
- The junta had ordered the shops to remain open on Tuesday, but Yangon’s streets began to empty by 10 a.m.
- Photos released by the junta’s intelligence team on Tuesday painted a picture of normality in the country.
Yangon: Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack on a pro-military demonstration in eastern Myanmar on Tuesday, a security official told AFP, as anti-coup protests were held across the country on the military’s first anniversary seize power.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as anti-coup activists celebrated the anniversary of the coup with a silent strike and clapping protests, defying the junta’s orders.
The military takeover that ended the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude and overthrow of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has sparked mass protests and crackdowns on dissent.
A local control group said the junta, struggling to contain resistance and daily clashes, has killed more than 1,500 civilians. The whole country is under the control of fighters against the coup.
Residents of the Yangon commercial center and Mandalay city clapped en masse at 4 p.m. (0930 GMT), AFP correspondents and local residents said, marking the end of a “silent attack” against the coup.
“We were clapping,” said a Mandalay resident. “Other houses in my neighborhood also clapped.”
Ten people were arrested for participating in the clapping protest in Yangon, local media reported.
The junta had ordered shops to remain open on Tuesday, but the streets of Yangon began to empty at 10 a.m., a scene repeated in Mandalay and the southern Tanintharyi region.
Mandalay’s famous jade market was open in the morning but saw little traffic, a resident told AFP.
“I’m staying at home to play online games to participate in the silent strike.”
A similar shutdown in December cleared the streets of towns and villages across the country, but Tuesday was also marked by violence against the junta.
Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack as crowds returned from a pro-military rally in the eastern city of Tachileik, a security official told AFP.
Local media also reported the afternoon incident in eastern Shan State, a region of the country that has seen relatively little coup-related violence.
Prior to the anniversary, the junta had threatened to seize businesses that had to close their doors and warned that noisy demonstrations or the sharing of anti-military “propaganda” could lead to treason or charges of terrorism.
“If the strike develops as reported, it will be a resounding silence, a resounding rebuke from the military regime,” David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in Myanmar, told AFP.
On Tuesday morning, local media showed isolated flash mobs in Yangon and Mandalay, as protesters unfolded pro-democracy banners and fired flares.
Photos released by the junta’s information team on Tuesday painted a picture of normality in the country, including participants completing a marathon in the southern region of Bago and a religious celebration.
Undated video handouts showed pro-military demonstrations in unspecified parts of the country, some holding national flags and chanting slogans in support of the military.
Others held banners denouncing the “People’s Defense Forces” set up to fight the military and dealt painful blows to junta forces with guerrilla ambushes and mine attacks.
The United States, Britain and Canada announced coordinated sanctions on Monday against officials from Myanmar, including those involved in the trial of ousted leader Suu Kyi.
Washington has sanctioned Attorney General Thida Oo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Tin Oo, all of whom were deeply involved in the “politically motivated” prosecution of Suu Kyi.
Citing “unspeakable violence against civilians,” the undermining of regional stability and “rampant” corruption, US President Joe Biden said he was working with allies to “hold account” those responsible.
But the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar said the international community needed to do more.
“The fact that a year has passed without a Security Council resolution imposing a comprehensive arms embargo – while weapons continue to flow into the junta and kill innocent people – is unacceptable,” said Tom Andrews.
“The people of Myanmar deserve better from the United Nations.”
Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and faces a range of charges, from electoral fraud to violating the official secrets law, and faces more than 100 years in prison.
The day before the anniversary, the junta announced that the Nobel laureate will face a new trial for electoral fraud during 2020 polls in which its National League for Democracy party defeated a military-backed rival.
Several high-ranking members of the National Electoral Commission have also been arrested since the coup, accused of masterminding the NLD’s landslide victory.
The junta canceled the results of the 2020 election in July last year, saying it had found about 11.3 million cases of fraud.
Independent observers said the polls were largely free and fair.
