Protests erupt in Myanmar as teachers, students defy military rule

Protests erupted in Myanmar as hundreds of teachers and students came out on the streets in Yangon as the military arrested a key aide of Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday.

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Teachers belonging to a Myanmar university wearing Suu Kyi's NLD party colours and students waving three-fingered salutes chanted "Long live Mother Suu".

The military had earlier arrested NLD's senior party leader Win Htein,79, who was considered to be a key aide of Suu Kyi, just days after arresting the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Reports said at least  200 teachers and students from Yangon's Dagon University staged a rally where they displayed the three-finger salute borrowed from Thailand's democracy movement.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), over 130 officials and lawmakers have been detained after the coup which took place in the early morning hours on Monday.

The military cut off the internet in the country and blocked Facebook while arresting pro-democracy activists. The coup has been roundly criticised worldwide, however, the UNSC in a meeting on Thursday stopped short of condemning it after intervention from China and Russia.

President Joe Biden urged the military to "relinquish power" asserting that detained advocates, activists and officials should be freed.