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What's happening in Myanmar, six months after the coup? Bangkok, Aug 1 (AFP) Aug 01, 2021 Myanmar has endured six months of turmoil since the military deposed Aung San Suu Kyi's government and ended the country's decade-old experiment with democracy. The junta has consolidated its position after a lethal crackdown on street protests, which have continued in a limited form despite the violence. AFP takes a look at the current state of play inside Myanmar:
Tens of thousands of civil servants and other workers have either been sacked for joining protests or are still on strike in support of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign. A coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed the healthcare system, with many hospitals empty due to a work boycott by pro-democracy medical staff. "The country has fallen into chaos and is close to complete collapse," Manny Maung of Human Rights Watch told AFP.
Young demonstrators in the commercial capital Yangon hold regular morning flash mobs, jogging through the streets to chant slogans and sometimes set off flares. But even these are getting more and more dangerous -- police informers are always on the lookout, and protesters have been snatched by plainclothes officers.
Fighters from the Karen National Union -- which has offered shelter to fleeing dissidents -- attacked and razed a military base in May. Another group near the Chinese border has also fought sporadic battles against the armed forces. The junta hit back at both with air strikes. Civilian guerilla groups have also taken on the military in urban neighbourhoods, often with rudimentary or homemade weapons and almost no training.
But the generals are used to international isolation after weathering sanctions during a previous military regime. UN experts have accused the junta of committing crimes against humanity but has so far only imposed a non-binding resolution to "prevent the flow of arms" into Myanmar.
They later brought an eclectic mix of charges against her, including illegally importing walkie-talkies and flouting coronavirus restrictions. She could face over a decade in jail if convicted on all counts.
It has claimed plans to stage new elections at an unspecified point in the future.
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