US President Joe Biden announced sanctions Wednesday against Myanmar's military leaders and demanded they relinquish power, after tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Southeast Asian nation's biggest city for a fifth consecutive day demanding a return to democracy.

The popular show of force in Yangon, which came in defiance of a protest ban in Myanmar's former capital, saw crowds swarm through the city and call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi following her ouster in a coup last week.

Protesters faced down police a day after authorities dispersed crowds elsewhere with tear gas and rubber bullets, and ramped up their harassment of the deposed leader's party.

The sudden escalation of force against demonstrations sweeping the country prompted a fresh chorus of international condemnation after officers fired live rounds at one rally in Naypyidaw, which has been the capital since 2005.

Biden said his administration was cutting off Myanmar generals' access to $1 billion in funds in the US and would soon unveil new sanctions.

"I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists they are now detaining including Aung San Suu Kyi and also Win Myint, the president," Biden said.

"The military must relinquish power."

Two people were critically wounded in the Naypyidaw incident -- including one woman who was shot in the head.

Images depicting her in the moments after she was shot were by Wednesday appearing on a huge protest banner and had been widely shared online alongside expressions of grief and fury.

"They can shoot a young woman but they can't steal the hope and resolve of a determined people," UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted Wednesday.

Massive crowds returned to the streets of Yangon Wednesday, where the day before they had faced off against a phalanx of riot police standing alongside water cannon trucks near Suu Kyi's residence.

Biden's remarks come after European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc could impose fresh sanctions on Myanmar's military, but said any measures should be targeted to avoid hitting the wider population.

Biden said the US would "work with our international partners to urge other nations to join us in these efforts."

- Journalist detained -

More politicians from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) were detained Tuesday along with 30 others -- including a journalist from local broadcaster DVB -- at a protest in Mandalay, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group said.

Their arrests in Yangon came as police fired tear gas at protesters who were waving red NLD flags.

State media reported the crowd had thrown objects at police and injured four officers -- its first direct mention of the protests since they began on the weekend.

"Therefore, the police members dispersed in accordance with the methods and laws," the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported, without mentioning other police confrontations elsewhere in the country.

Hundreds of protesters in Mandalay were undeterred Wednesday, returning to the streets carrying signs that said "Down with dictatorship".

Elsewhere, the discipline of security forces appeared to be breaking down, with four officers defecting from their lines in the eastern town of Loikaw to join the anti-coup protests, according to local media reports.

Soldiers raided NLD headquarters in Yangon after night fell, but party member Soe Win told AFP that his colleagues had been prevented from intervening due to a blanket curfew imposed on the city.

The following morning he arrived on the scene to find door locks broken, computer equipment missing, server cables cut and bank documents taken from a safe box.

- 'Respect the vote' -

The military justified last week's power grab by claiming widespread voter fraud in the November polls, which saw a landslide for Suu Kyi's party.

It quickly moved to stack courts and political offices with loyalists.

In the 10 days since army chief Min Aung Hlaing ousted the Nobel laureate from power and ended a decade of civilian rule, Myanmar has been roiled by a burgeoning civil disobedience campaign and massive street protests.

Medical staff, air traffic controllers and teachers have staged strikes, while others have fastened red ribbons on their uniforms or posed for photos while brandishing the three-finger salute adopted by the anti-coup movement.

By Wednesday, the military announced that special hotlines have been set up for civil servants to report if they were being bullied for not participating in anti-coup activities.

A tech-focused Myanmar civil society organisation also tweeted that a draft cyber security bill had been sent to telecoms companies -- which last week were ordered to briefly shut down internet services.

According to MIDO, the bill will allow the military to "order shutdowns, website bans, content take downs and interceptions", while also requiring social media platforms to hand over users' metadata to authorities upon request.

The UN Human Rights Council has said it would hold a special session on Friday to discuss the crisis.

Myanmar anti-coup protesters march again as US sanctions generals
Yangon (AFP) Feb 11, 2021 - Anti-coup protesters on Thursday took to the streets of Myanmar for a sixth consecutive day, after US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against the Southeast Asian nation's generals and demanded they relinquish power.

There has been an outpouring of anger and defiance since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week and detained her along with other senior figures of her National League for Democracy party.

Security forces have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against the protesters, with isolated reports of live rounds also being fired. Police also ramped up their harassment of the NLD with a raid on its headquarters.

But demonstrators again marched peacefully on Thursday in Naypyidaw -- the capital and military stronghold -- as well as Yangon, the largest city and commercial hub.

"Don't go to the office," chanted a group of protesters outside Myanmar's central bank in Yangon, part of a civil disobedience effort urging civil servants and people in other industries to boycott work and put pressure on the junta.

"We aren't doing this for a week or a month -- we are determined to do this until the end when (Suu Kyi) and President U Win Myint are released," one bank employee who had joined the protest told AFP.

There were also fresh rallies in the cities of Dawei and Mandalay, with protesters carrying signs that said "Restore our Democracy!" and "We condemn the military coup".

- US sanctions -

Western nations have repeatedly denounced the coup, with the United States leading calls for the generals to relinquish power.

In the most significant concrete action to pressure the junta, Biden announced Wednesday that his administration was cutting of the generals' access to $1 billion in funds in the United States.

"I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists," Biden said, as he flagged further sanctions.

"The military must relinquish power."

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also warned the bloc could impose fresh sanctions on Myanmar's military.

"This seems like a well calibrated set of measures... Also a strong signal that President Biden himself announced them," Myanmar-based political analyst Richard Horsey tweeted, describing the sanctions as a "clear message" to the military.

- Crackdown deepens -

There were more reports of arrests on Thursday, including the deputy speaker of the parliament's lower house and a key aid to Suu Kyi, taking the number of coup-linked detentions to more than 200, according to monitor Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The military justified last week's power grab by claiming widespread voter fraud in the November polls, which saw a landslide for Suu Kyi's party.

It quickly moved to stack courts and political offices with loyalists as it ended a decade of civilian rule.

Fears are growing over how long the junta will tolerate the masses of people taking to the streets.

Live rounds were fired at a rally in Naypyidaw this week, critically wounding two people -- including a woman who was shot in the head.

Images depicting the woman have been shared widely online alongside expressions of grief and fury.

"They can shoot a young woman but they can't steal the hope and resolve of a determined people," UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted Wednesday.

The military's clampdown on information using internet blackouts -- with tech companies ordered to cut communications intermittently -- has drawn widespread condemnation.

Concern was also building Thursday that the junta was planning to impose a much harsher and sustained internet crackdown.

Tech-focused Myanmar civil society organisation MIDO tweeted that a draft cyber security bill had been sent to telecom companies, which would allow the military to order blackouts and website bans.

It would also require social media platforms to hand over users' metadata.

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Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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