Myanmar braces for crackdown on anti-coup protests

Myanmar is bracing for a crackdown on anti-coup protests after reports of tanks in the street and troop movements in the country’s largest city amid fears of another nationwide internet blackout.

Much of the country has been in uproar since soldiers detained Aung San Suu Kyi and ousted her government, ending a decade-old fledgling democracy after generations of junta rule.

Troops have briefly moved some armored vehicles around Yangon, days after security forces stepped up arrests targeting a civil disobedience movement that has seen huge crowds throng streets in big urban centers and isolated frontier villages alike.

An armored vehicle in Yangon, Myanmar on February 14, 2021. (AFP)

A US embassy-affiliated Twitter account warns of possible telecommunications interruptions “between 1:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.” on Monday local time.

Police have also warned the public not to harbor fugitives, as they are hunting seven people who have lent vocal support to the protests, including some of the country’s most famous democracy activists.