Myanmar military seizes hospitals, universities

IslamNews – The military rulers that ousted Myanmar’s civilian leadership on Feb. 1 are expanding their control of urban centers, setting up makeshift operations on university campuses, hospitals and Buddhist pagoda complexes.

On Sunday, security forces stormed Yangon General Hospital and universities in Mandalay. “I think they are trying to prepare for a brutal war against the people,” a security guard at Mandalay Technological University said. The abbot of the Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Mandalay said that soldiers had taken over the pagoda’s grounds for a month.

The Tatmadaw, as the military is known, also revoked licenses from five independent media organizations on Monday, a severe blow to the country’s vibrant free press that could make the very act of reporting illegal.

Three protesters were killed Monday as a general strike shut down workplaces across the country. More than 60 people have been killed since the military coup and about 1,800 others have been detained.

Source: The New York Times