Mandalay: Myanmar security forces arrested one of the main leaders of the campaign against the military rule after ramming him with a car as he led a motorbike protest rally, friends and colleagues said. Opponents of the February 1 coup that ousted an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi have kept up their campaign against the military with marches and various other shows of defiance.
“Our brother Wai Moe Naing was arrested. His motorbike was hit by an unmarked police car,” Win Zaw Khiang, a member of a protest organising group, said on social media. Wai Moe Naing, a 25-year old Muslim, has emerged as one of the most high-profile leaders of the anti-coup rallies.
Some colleagues said they feared for Wai Moe Naing’s safety. The Swedish embassy said it was following his case and urged that all detainees be allowed proper health care and their human rights be respected. The US embassy also condemned the reported incident. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. Earlier, soldiers opened fire in Mandalay to disperse protesting medical workers and one man was killed and several wounded when security forces fired in a nearby neighbourhood, media reported.
