People in Myanmar are using trash to protest as the death toll climbs to more than 500
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Erin Snodgrass
Mar 31, 2021, 05:48 IST
Residents use trash to block streets as a form of protest in Thaketa township, Yangon, Myanmar, in this image obtained by Reuters on March 30, 2021.via REUTERS
More than 500 people have been killed since Myanmar's military staged a coup on February 1.
Security and military forces have killed hundreds at pro-democracy protests and demonstrations.
Demonstrators have staged a new civil-disobedience campaign, by leaving their trash in the streets.
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Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar launched a new civil-disobedience campaign this week as the death toll in the country surpasses 500, nearly two months after a military coup.
Trash was piled high in the streets of Myanmar's main city, Yangon, on Tuesday, as demonstrators maintained a series of strikes in an attempt to paralyze the economy, according to Reuters. Participants initiated a new tactic this week, asking residents to leave their garbage at intersections throughout Yangon.
"This garbage strike is a strike to oppose the junta," a poster on social media said. "Everyone can join."
Protests and demonstrations continue throughout the country as the military junta has escalated the violence in recent days, launching air raids in eastern Myanmar that drove thousands to seek shelter across the border in Thailand, according to The Associated Press.
The US has repeatedly condemned the February coup and imposed several rounds of sanctions against the country, but Myanmar's generals appear unaffected by international action.
On February 1, Myanmar's military announced it would be taking over the country for at least a year following the detainment of several top politicians. The military cited unfounded claims of mass voter fraud as justification for the coup just hours before the new parliament was scheduled to meet for the first time since the November election.
The military junta killed dozens across the country on Saturday on the bloodiest day of protests yet, as the military celebrated the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade in Myanmar's capital.
The Associated Press reported 93 people were killed Saturday across more than two dozen cities and towns. Fourteen civilians were killed Monday, and a Yangon resident told Reuters the violence had not ceased on Tuesday.
"There was shooting all night," the anonymous resident told the outlet.
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