Protest continues in Myanmar for free Aung San Suu Kyi

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In the country of Myanmar, the army has seized power and captured a popular politician. Many people protest against this. People travel to the southeast of Asia to admire them. The country of Myanmar is famous for its pagodas. These are towers, many of which sparkle golden.

It is a beautiful country, says the expert Uta Gärtner. Many visitors are impressed by the warmth of the people there.

For some holidaymakers it was also important that in recent years the people there have finally gained more freedom. Before that, the leadership of the army had ruled and oppressed the country. But bad news has been coming from Myanmar for over two weeks. The military has once again usurped all power. Several important politicians were arrested. Aung San Suu Kyi is one of them. The woman was considered the actual head of the government and is very much admired in Myanmar.

People associate it with a brighter future, explains Uta Gärtner. Many see her as a kind of mother of the country. She may even have become too popular with military leaders. In a recent election, Aung San Suu Kyi's party received far more votes than expected. The military claims the election was cheated. Others believe that the army command is afraid of losing power. With a trick she enforced the state of emergency. Now the army chief is the supreme ruler in the country. Unlike in the past, many more people now take to the streets to protest. They even do that despite the fact that the new government is sending tanks and throwing people in jail. As a sign of their loud protest, many people hit pots and pans. But it is not easy to find out what exactly is going on in the country.

The protests continued yesterday. People have experienced the light, explains Uta Gärtner. You don't want to go back into the dark. By this she means that people don't want to lose their freedoms again. Other countries could also help, says Ms. Gärtner. Some countries, such as the USA, imposed the first penalties on the new rulers.