Sharjah24 – AFP: Protesters returned to the streets across Myanmar on Saturday, defying a junta-led campaign of fear as regional powers Indonesia and Malaysia condemned the violence deployed by security forces against anti-coup demonstrators.
The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a February 1 coup, triggering a nationwide uprising as protesters call for a return to democracy.
So far, more than 230 people have been killed in anti-coup unrest, according to a local monitoring group, as security forces have deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds against anti-coup protesters.
But the movement has pushed ahead -- albeit in smaller numbers.
Local media showed protesters in gas masks gathering in northern Shan state, while in the southern coastal city of Dawei, motorists hoisted posters of Suu Kyi and signs that said "end the dictatorship".
The protesters in Shan state wielded home-made shields that said "protect unarmed civilians".
Sporadic demonstrations persisted Saturday across the former capital, with a small group marching on a residential area chanting for the military to "Surrender if you do not want life in prison!"
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