YANGON – Myanmar’s ruling junta stepped up its campaign against celebrities who support nationwide protests against its seizure of power, publishing wanted lists in the state press and warning against using their work.
The move follows weeks of escalating violence by security forces in breaking up street protests against the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
At least 564 protesters and bystanders have been killed since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors casualties and arrests.
The coup reversed the country’s gradual return to democracy after five decades of military rule. The lists published Sunday and Monday in the Global New Light of Myanmar