Protesters marched through downtown Yangon Friday to demand that regional leaders "stand with Myanmar people", ahead of a weekend ASEAN summit to be attended by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.

The country has been in turmoil since February 1, when the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a lightning coup.

Using violence and lethal force to quell a nationwide uprising, security forces have killed at least 739 people in near-daily crackdowns, according to a local monitoring group.

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing is set to take part Saturday in a summit of regional leaders -- as part of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- to address Myanmar's mounting crisis.

The meeting of ASEAN leaders and foreign ministers has drawn widespread criticism from activists, human rights groups and protesters for including the military regime.

In commercial hub Yangon -- where the anti-coup movement had laid low in recent weeks due to fear of crackdowns -- protesters returned to the streets Friday, flashing three-finger salutes of resistance.

"Mother Suu and leaders -- release them immediately!" they shouted as they marched quickly past the Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon. "What do we want? Democracy!"

The protesters came from different Yangon townships, some carrying signs that read "ASEAN please stand with Myanmar people" and "ASEAN do you need more blood... to make the right decision?"

Also angered by the bloc's invitation to Min Aung Hlaing was the so-called National Unity Government (NUG) -- a group of ousted Myanmar lawmakers attempting to run a shadow administration.

On Thursday, they called on Interpol to arrest the senior general -- the same day Myanmar state media announced the lawmakers in hiding were wanted for high treason.

- 'Biggest test' -

Despite the omnipresent threat of violence, nationwide demonstrations for a return to democracy persisted Friday.

Scores of people young and old marched through the southern city of Dawei, holding signs that said, "Please, help (us) to arrest Min Aung Hlaing" as they chanted support for the shadow government.

In central Sagaing region -- the site of brutal crackdowns by security forces -- local media showed students protesting the bloodshed by dressing in their uniforms covered in red dye and reading crimson ink-splattered textbooks.

Amnesty International's Emerlynne Gil called ASEAN's handling of Myanmar the "biggest test in its history".

"The Indonesian authorities and other ASEAN member states cannot ignore the fact Min Aung Hlaing is suspected of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole," she said.

The junta has justified the putsch by alleging electoral fraud in November's elections -- which Suu Kyi's party had won in a landslide.

The United States, European Union and Britain have already imposed sanctions on top military brass and some army-linked businesses.

Before the coup, Min Aung Hlaing was already facing international sanctions over his army's role in the Rohingya crisis.

About 750,000 of the Muslim minority group fled Myanmar in 2017 following a brutal military crackdown.

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Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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Japan urges release of journalist in Myanmar
Yangon (AFP) April 19, 2021
Japan urged Myanmar authorities on Monday to release from prison a Japanese journalist accused of spreading fake news, one of at least 65 reporters arrested during the junta's crackdown on anti-coup protests. The military has ramped up its attempts to crush dissent following mass demonstrations against its ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with at least 737 civilians killed and the press increasingly under attack. Yuki Kitazumi was detained on Sunday, and a Japanese embassy spokesman ... read more