Internet restored in Myanmar as mass rallies against coup rage

Civil disobedience grows in Myanmar despite attempts by the military to choke off the main hub for organising against the military junta

A protester holds a placard showing a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul, South Korea to protests against the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021. AFP

Protesters hold a flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party during an anti-coup demonstration near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

Protesters give the three-finger salute during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. AFP

People make noise on the streets of Yangon to protest against the military coup in Myanmar. AFP

Protesters give the three-finger salute during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. AFP

A protester holds a placard during a demonstration condemning the military coup in Myanmar, in front of the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

Myanmar citizens living in South Korea demonstrate against the military coup in their home country, near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. Getty Images

A protester shouts slogans next to a banner showing a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

Myanmar protesters hold placards during a demonstration condemning the military coup in Myanmar, near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

Myanmar protesters hold a flag of the National League for Democracy party during a demonstration condemning the military coup in Myanmar, near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

A Myanmar protester shouts slogans during a demonstration condemning the military coup in Myanmar, near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

A Myanmar protester shouts slogans next to a banner showing a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration condemning the military coup in Myanmar, near the military office of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul. AFP

The internet has been restored in Myanmar as thousands of anti-coup protesters poured back onto the streets on Sunday.

Military leaders shut internet connections in the hope of stifling the growing outrage at the army's ouster of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian government.

The fresh rally followed the largest protests to date on Saturday, when tens of thousands came out in cities across the country to condemn the coup that brought a 10-year experiment with democracy to a crashing halt.

Thousands of chanting protesters marched in Yangon, backed by a din of car horns.

They held up banners – including some saying "We do not want military dictatorship" – and the signature red flags of Ms Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy (NLD) party.

"We will move forward and keep demanding until we get democracy. Down with the military dictatorship," said protester Myo Win, 37.

Some flashed the three-finger salute inspired by the "Hunger Games" films and used as a symbol of resistance by pro-democracy protesters in Thailand last year.

Despite the large-scale deployment of riot police – backed by water cannon – there have been no major clashes reported so far.

"#Myanmar's military and police must ensure the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and demonstrators are not subjected to reprisals," the United Nations Human Rights office tweeted after Saturday's protests.

The surge in popular dissent at the weekend overrode a nationwide blockade of the internet, similar in magnitude to an earlier shutdown that coincided with the arrest of Ms Suu Kyi and other senior leaders on Monday.

Online calls to protest the army takeover have prompted bold displays of defiance, including the nightly deafening clamour of people around the country banging pots and pans – a practice traditionally associated with driving out evil spirits.

Yangon residents repeated the pot-banging at 8am on Sunday.

As protests gathered steam this week, the junta ordered telecom networks to freeze access to Facebook, an extremely popular service in the country and arguably its main mode of communication.

The platform had hosted a rapidly growing "Civil Disobedience Movement" forum that had inspired civil servants, healthcare professionals, and teachers to show their dissent by boycotting their jobs.

On Sunday, a live Facebook video feed showed the Yangon protesters as they marched through the streets, as well as police in riot personnel standing by in some locations.

It was not immediately clear how the broadcast was bypassing the government block.

The military had widened its efforts to quell organised dissent on Friday when it demanded new blocks on other social media services including Twitter.

"The generals are now attempting to paralyse the citizen movement of resistance – and keep the outside world in the dark – by cutting virtually all internet access," said Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar.

An immensely popular figure despite a tarnished reputation in the West, Ms Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since the coup, but a party spokesman said on Friday she was under house arrest and "in good health".

Two days after her ouster, criminal charges were filed against her related to the illegal import of a set of walkie-talkies.

The military had flagged its coup intentions days in advance, insisting that the NLD's landslide victory in the November elections was the result of voter fraud.

The army-backed parties were trounced in the ballot.

Following the takeover, the junta proclaimed a one-year state of emergency after which it promised to hold fresh elections, without offering any precise time frame.

The coup has been widely condemned by the international community, with US President Joe Biden leading calls for the generals to relinquish power and release those arrested in the post-coup crackdown.