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Updated February 9th, 2021 at 13:51 IST

Police cracks down on crowds of demonstrators in Mandalay

The decrees issued Monday night for some areas of Yangon and Mandalay banned rallies and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions.

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Police in Mandalay cracked down on crowds of demonstrators who took to the streets again Tuesday against Myanmar's military takeover in defiance of rules making the protests illegal. Water cannons were used in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city, where witnesses said at least two warning shots were fired to try to make the crowd disperse. Reports on social media said police arrested more than two dozen people there.They also used water cannons in the capital Natpyitaw for a second day running and fired shots into the air.

The decrees issued Monday night for some areas of Yangon and Mandalay banned rallies and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, while also imposing a 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew. It was not immediately clear if regulations have been imposed for other areas. Demonstrations Tuesday were also held in other cities, including Bago — where city elders negotiated with police to avoid a violent confrontation — and Dawei, and in northern Shan state.

The protesters are demanding that power be restored to the deposed civilian government and are seeking freedom for the nation's elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other ruling party members detained since the military took over and blocked the new session of Parliament from convening on Feb. 1. The growing defiance is striking in a country where past demonstrations have been met with deadly force and are a reminder of previous movements in the Southeast Asian country's long and bloody struggle for democracy.

(Image Credit: AP)

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Published February 9th, 2021 at 13:51 IST

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