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Myanmar army orders arrest of seven prominent backers of anti-coup protests
- Activist Min Ko Naing is one of the leading figures in encouraging the protests and a civil disobedience movement
- The UN’s top human rights body passed a resolution urging military leaders to free Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian government leaders
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Myanmar’s army on Saturday ordered the arrest of seven well-known backers of protests against this month’s coup, including Min Ko Naing, who has been a leading pro-democracy activist since bloodily suppressed protests in 1988.
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The announcement was made on the eighth day of countrywide demonstrations against the February 1 takeover and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which halted an unsteady transition to democracy that began in 2011.
People should inform the police if they spot any of the seven people named and will be punished if they shelter them, the army’s True News information team said in a statement.
It said cases had been filed under section 505 (b) of the penal code – which was often used by previous juntas and imposes a sentence of up to two years for comments that could cause alarm or “threaten tranquillity”.
Min Ko Naing, 58, who was imprisoned for most of the time between 1988 and 2012, has been one of the most prominent figures in encouraging the protests and a civil disobedience movement, sending messages of encouragement almost daily.
On Friday, he had warned against a wave of night-time arrests and urged communities to organise to prevent them.
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“Elders and youths should cooperate and keep in touch,” he said in a video message.
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