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Thousands of people protested the military coup in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar
Photo: Theint Mon Soe / imago images / ZUMA Wire
The military junta in Myanmar has declared martial law in several parts of the country.
The rulers also declared that they were "different" from the former junta government that had ruled the country for almost 50 years.
In his first televised address since the coup, Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing justified the takeover with "electoral fraud".
Despite warnings from the army leadership, tens of thousands of people protested against the coup for the third day in a row.
For the first time since the coup, the police used water cannons against demonstrators in the capital Naypyidaw.
At least two people were injured.
The demonstrators demanded a return to democracy and the release of the arrested de facto Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and other prisoners.
In view of the increasing resistance, Hlaing justified the coup by saying that there had been fraud in the parliamentary elections in November.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won a landslide election.
The army wanted to return power after the state of emergency and after "free and fair elections," assured Hlaing.
The general also said the Southeast Asian country continues to welcome foreign investment.
He also announced a lifting of the corona measures.
Nationwide general strike started
The military had previously read a statement on the state broadcaster MRTV that any opposition to the generals was against the law.
There were violations of the law and threats of violence by groups under the "pretext of democracy and human rights," it said.
After the protests had expanded massively over the weekend, a nationwide general strike began on Monday.
In the economic metropolis and former capital of Rangoon, textile workers, civil servants and railway employees stopped working.
They poured into the streets and paralyzed traffic.
According to some estimates, the number of participants was several hundred thousand people.
Large rallies were held in other parts of the country, from Muse on the Chinese border to the southern cities of Dawei and Hpa-an.
More demonstrations are expected on Tuesday.
Because of the protests, the rulers imposed martial law in several quarters of the two largest cities, Rangoon and Mandalay, as well as in other parts of the country.
It is forbidden for people to demonstrate or to meet in groups of more than five people.
A night curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. was also imposed.
In view of the developments, the UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday on the situation in Myanmar.
This was done at the request of Great Britain and the EU, as the Council announced.
Pope calls for "immediate" release of the civilian leadership
The US government emphasized its solidarity with the people of Myanmar.
The United States stood by the people in the country and supported their right to "peacefully demonstrate in support of the democratically elected government," said a spokesman for the US State Department.
Attempts by the US government to get in touch with Suu Kyi have been rejected, according to the spokesman.
The Pope meanwhile called for the "immediate" release of the country's civilian leadership as a "sign of encouragement for a sincere dialogue for the good of the country."
A week ago, the military seized power in Myanmar and overturned the civilian government.
The de facto head of government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were arrested.
The coup ended a decade of democratic change in the Southeast Asian country.
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nck / AFP