Crowds defied curfews in Myanmar overnight on Saturday, following rumors that police were about to launch a new wave of raids on anti-coup activists.
The civil disobedience began hours after a seventh consecutive day of nationwide protests ended on Friday, the largest yet.
Protesters have staged huge daily protests across the country after the army toppled leader Aung San Suu Kyi and took power on February 1.
The UN Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention. He urged the military government to refrain from using violence against protesters.
Anti-coup demonstrations continued Saturday in the Southeast Asian country.
What the activists did during the night:
Neighborhood groups emerged to stop the arrests of activists, circumventing a board ban on Facebook.
News of such arrests circulated widely on social media, including in memes titled: “Our nights are no longer safe” and: “The Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night.”
In the nation’s business center, Yangon, people called others outside to rally and protest by beating pots and pans, an action traditionally associated with the driving out of evil in the country.
“We didn’t know who they would take, but when we heard the sound, we went out to meet our neighbors,” said Tin Zar, a merchant in northern Yangon.
“Even if they shoot, we are not afraid,” he told the AFP news agency.
A group invaded a hospital in the city of Pathein, 190 kilometers (almost 120 miles) west of Yangon, after rumors that a popular local doctor would be taken away. The group chanted a Buddhist prayer asking for protection from harm.
“If I have trouble, I will ask for your help,” Dr. Than Min Htut told the group, showing a three-finger salute that has come to symbolize resistance to the blow.
Than Min Htut spoke to AFP on Saturday to confirm that he was still free and would continue to participate in the civil disobedience campaign.
‘No isolated incidents’
“Family members are left without knowledge of the charges, the location or the condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents and the nightly raids are targeting dissenting voices. It’s happening all over the country, ”the Political Prisoners Assistance Association, a watchdog group for political prisoners, wrote in a statement.
The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the February 1 coup. The UN noted that some faced criminal charges for “dubious reasons.”
No truce from protesters
The protests continued unabated on Saturday in Yangon, the capital Naypyitaw, the second city of Mandalay and other cities.
Airline personnel, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among the groups protesting.
In Yangon, some protesters carried posters commenting on the overnight disappearances.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper claimed that thousands of people had joined pro-military demonstrations in parts of Myanmar on Friday. The Reuters news agency could not immediately verify the report.
What happens next
Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing warned the striking officials to return to work. The new regime has established a hotline to report that government employees are joining the demonstrations.
So far, the generals do not appear discouraged by the widespread condemnation in the streets and from the international community.
The board has proclaimed a state of emergency that lasts for one year. He had promised to hold new elections, but without a precise timetable.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.