Myanmar flash mob keeps flame of defiance burning

Myanmar anti-coup protesters held a hurried show of opposition to the military junta in Yangon on Sunday, the flash mob scattering swiftly after a few minutes to avoid confrontation with security forces.

It comes a day before the first trial of deposed national leader Aung San Suu Kyi is due to begin in Naypyityaw on a range of charges that include illegal importation of walkie-talkies and breaking COVID-19 pandemic regulations during last year's general election campaign.

Another charge, breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, is being handled separately.

In Sunday's demonstration, about 50 young people marched down a street in Yangon's Pazundaung township, chanting pro-democracy slogans and holding banners, one of which said "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who stay in the middle and don't get involved in the fight between truth and lies".

The mass protests that erupted across the country straight after February's coup stopped after security forces reacted with lethal force, gunning down participants and making a wave of arrests. But the demonstrations have never stopped, entirely.

Groups still march daily in many rural areas while flash mobs periodically appear in urban centres, often to the applause of bystanders.