Myanmar protesters raise voices to 'shake the world'; more mystery blasts

People protest in Hlaing Township, Yangon, Myanmar May 2, in this still image from a video obtained by Reuters.

Protesters in Myanmar turned out in their thousands on Sunday, marching to oppose military rule more than three months after a coup that brought a halt to democratic reform and economic growth and ushered in turmoil. The protests, which the military has been unable to stop with lethal suppression, were coordinated with expatriate communities around the world to mark what organisers called "the global Myanmar spring revolution". "Shake the world with the voice of Myanmar people's unity," organisers said in a statement. Streams of protesters, in some case led by Buddhist monks, made their way through several cities and towns including the commercial hub of Yangon, the second city of Mandalay, the central town of Kale and Dawei in the south, media reported. One person was shot and killed in the Shan State town of Hsipaw, the Shwe Phee Myay news portal reported. The Irrawaddy news site posted a photograph of man who it said was a security officer in plain clothes taking aim with a rifle in Mandalay. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Mandalay. A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. The protests are only one of the problems the generals have brought on with their Feb. 1 ouster of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Wars with ethnic minority insurgents in remote frontier regions in the north and east have intensified significantly over the past three months, displacing tens of thousands of civilians, according to UN estimates. In some places, civilians with crude weapons have battled security forces while in central areas military and government facilities that have been secure for generations have been hit by rocket attacks and a wave of small, unexplained blasts. The state-run broadcaster in its main Saturday evening news bulletin gave details of at least 11 explosions over the previous 36 hours, most in the main city of Yangon. It reported some damage but no casualties. There have been no claims of responsibility. "Some rioters who do not want stability of the state have been throwing and planting handmade bombs at government buildings and on public roads," the state broadcaster said. Khit Thit media reported a blast outside a police barracks in Yangon early on Sunday. Vehicles were ablaze it said, but it gave no information on any casualties. Later, it reported another blast in the city. A news portal in Shan State in the northeast reported a blast outside the home of a prominent businessman. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group says security forces have killed at least 759 protesters since the coup. Reuters is unable to confirm the toll. The military, which ruled for almost 50 years until launching a tentative reform process a decade ago, acknowledged in mid-April the death of 248 protesters, saying they were killed after they initiated violence. Several members of the security forces have been killed in the protests, the military says. The protests and a parallel civil disobedience campaign of strikes have crippled the economy and raised prospects of hunger for the poor, aid agencies have warned. The UN Development Programme warned last week that the impact of the pandemic and the political crisis could see as many as 25 million Myanmar people slide into poverty by 2022.