Myanmar protests army takeover - 10th February 2021

Huge crowds of people have taken to the streets of Myanmar. They are demanding the release of leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar's generals ended ten years of Suu Kyi's government on 1st February. They detained Suu Kyi and other leaders from the National League for Democracy (NLD), the ruling party.

Tens of thousands of furious protestors held demonstrations at the weekend. They shouted "down with the military" and "release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi".

Many protestors held up three fingers in a salute which has come to symbolise their movement. The gesture was originally seen in the film “The Hunger Games'' where rebels fought for freedom. It has now become a symbol for democracy movements in South East Asia.

The military ordered communications companies to shut down the internet and Facebook. However, live videos have still been posted of the protests around the country.

The generals claim that their actions are justified, saying there was fraud in the country's November elections. A state of emergency has been declared for one year. After that, the military says elections will be held.

World leaders such as American President Joe Biden have criticised the military takeover. They have demanded that the generals give up control.