Myanmar: People hold 'silent strike' to boycott military regime

Yangon [Myanmar], December 11 : People in Myanmar on Friday organised a 'Silent Strike' to boycott the military rule in the country.
This came as the world observed International Human Rights Day on December 10. Nearly all businesses -- particularly those in the regions of Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway and Irrawaddy, as well as Kachin and Chin states -- were shuttered, and residents avoided any form of public interaction and streets were vacated by the citizens, reported Radio Free Asia.
"The action was meant to mourn the loss of human rights under military rule and the people's opposition to the coup," Protesting leaders said.
Nan Lin, a spokesman for the University Alumnus Association, said that Friday's Silent Strike was one of the most effective expressions of opposition against the coup since February.
"We'd staged a 'Silent Strike' on March 24 that was noted by the international media when millions of people participated in the program ... and now, nine months later, we are having another, but the situation is different," he told Radio Free Asia.
On February 1, the Myanmar military led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence in the country.
As reported by the Radio Free Asia, nearly 1,300 civilians have been killed since the military overthrew the democratically elected government in Myanmar while more than 7,000 people have been detained.
Hundreds of thousands of people have also been internally displaced in the country of 54 million people, amid food shortages and the coronavirus pandemic, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said.