Nationwide ‘silent strike’ in Myanmar protests military rule

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Opponents of military rule in Myanmar have held one of their biggest nationally coordinated protests in months, successfully calling on people across the country to shut their businesses and stay at home on International Human Rights Day. The “silent strike” was staged in cities and towns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and came at a time of increasing violence in the political crisis triggered by the army’s seizure of power in February. Photos on social media show normally busy streets and roads emptied of traffic in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and elsewhere. Usually crowded markets were quiet hours before the official start of the strike, which reaffirmed the widespread opposition to the army’s rule and its disregard for human rights.