Hundreds of protesters march in southern Myanmar

Protests against Myanmar's coup-installed military government continued Saturday in the south of the country.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched and rode motorbikes in Launglone Township in a public show of opposition, despite the fear of a police crackdown.

A human rights group said mounting violence since the Feb. 1 military takeover has killed at least 550 civilians.

Of those, 46 were children, according to Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Some 2,751 people have been detained or sentenced, the group said.

Threats of lethal violence and arrests of protesters have failed to suppress daily demonstrations across Myanmar demanding the military step down and reinstate the democratically elected government.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian country.