The main Burmese unions have called for an intensification of the strike on Monday March 8 to stifle the country's fragile economy and put pressure on the junta, the day after another day of repression against pro-democracy protesters and raids by security forces.
“Now is the time to act.
We call for (...) the complete and prolonged shutdown of the economy, ”
wrote nine federations, notably representing workers in the agricultural, manufacturing and construction sectors.
Allowing economic activities to continue would only help the army which
"suppresses the energy of the Burmese people
,
"
they added in a joint statement.
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The junta, for its part, warned officials: those who did not return to work from Monday will be sacked.
Strike calls, launched in the early hours following the February 1 coup, have already had a significant impact on many sectors, with banks unable to function, hospitals closed and ministerial offices empty.
Several voices also called on Burmese citizens to take to the streets in numbers on March 8, International Women's Rights Day.
Early in the morning, security forces were deployed in numbers in some neighborhoods of Yangon, the economic capital, where detonations were heard.
"They are using stun grenades to prevent protesters from assembling,"
said a resident of Sanchaung, which has seen violence in recent days.
Monks, students, civil servants: thousands of Burmese demonstrated on Sunday across the country, especially in Mandalay (center) where a large sit-in was organized.
The police and the army used tear gas, rubber ammunition but also live ammunition to disperse gatherings.
Dozens of protesters have been arrested and several injured, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Demonstrations that were held
"in residential areas, within the confines of religious buildings, hospitals and a campus were violently repressed"
, according to the Burmese NGO.
And
"police were seen brandishing knives at demonstrators, young people were beaten and kicked
.
"
Read also: Burma: the dangerous showdown between the junta and the street
Saturday night raids had already targeted officials of the National League for Democracy (LND), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, several had been arrested and a local representative of the movement, Khin Maung Latt, beaten to death.
MPs who do not recognize the legitimacy of the coup and have created a committee to represent the civilian government are guilty of
"high treason"
, a crime punishable by death or 22 years in prison, the police warned. junta.
More than 50 demonstrators have been killed since the putsch that overthrew the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. State media deny any involvement of the police and the military in the deaths of civilians, saying they
"had to" contain riots in accordance with the law ”
.
But widely circulated footage showed security forces firing live ammunition at rallies and removing the lifeless bodies of protesters.
Local officials, journalists, activists, artists: hundreds of people have been arrested since the putsch.
Faced with the deterioration of the situation, the Burmese are fleeing.
About fifty, including eight police officers who refused to take part in the repression, reached neighboring India, on the border of which dozens of others gathered.
The generals turn a deaf ear to the concert of protests from the international community, divided on the response to be provided.
The UN Security Council failed on Friday to agree on a joint declaration and negotiations are due to continue this week.
Read also: Bloody escalation in Burma
The junta, which challenges the legislative elections of November won overwhelmingly by the NLD, has promised to hold a new ballot, without revealing any timetable.
