Tens of thousands rally in growing protests against Myanmar coup

Tens of thousands of anti-coup protesters in Myanmar poured back onto the streets on Feb. 7, as an internet blackout failed to stifle growing outrage at the military's ouster of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The fresh rally followed large protests on Feb. 6 across the country condemning the coup that brought a 10-year experiment with democracy to a crashing halt.

Backed by a din of car horns, tens of thousands of protesters in Yangon held up banners on Feb. 7 saying "Justice for Myanmar" and "We do not want military dictatorship", while others waved the signature red flags of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

"I completely despise the military coup and I am not afraid of a crackdown," said Kyi Phyu Kyaw, a 20-year-old university student.

"I will join every day until Amay Suu (Mother Suu) is freed."

Many demonstrators also flashed the three-finger salute inspired by the "Hunger Games" films, which became a symbol of resistance during the pro-democracy protests in Thailand last year.

The path of the protesters to Yangon City Hall was blocked at several points by riot police, but some managed to get there by early afternoon. Other groups were still on their way.

"We will fight until the end," said Ye Kyaw, an 18-year-old economics student.

"The next generation can have democracy if we end this military dictatorship."

The surge in popular dissent over the weekend overrode a nationwide blockade of the internet, similar in magnitude to an earlier shutdown that coincided with the arrest of Suu Kyi and other senior leaders on Feb. 8.

Online calls to protest against the army takeover have prompted bold displays of defiance, including the nightly deafening clamor of people banging...