Riders punch postseason ticket with win over Elks
8h ago
The Riders are postseason bound in 2024.
TOKYO — Thousands of people from Myanmar living in Japan marched in downtown Tokyo on Sunday to protest the military coup back home, some holding photos of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and signs deploring the loss of human rights.
The gathering, which started in a park and trailed through busy streets, thronged by police, was the latest in a series of protests in a nation that more than 33,000 Burmese have made their home.
“I don’t like the military government,” said Sum Lut Htu Ti, a restaurant worker who has lived in Japan for three decades.
She was marching in a large contingent of the Kachin ethnic group, wearing colorful traditional clothing.
“I want to fight with her,” she said of Suu Kyi, the nation’s de facto leader who remains in detention following the Feb. 1 coup.
The recent demonstrations in Tokyo appear to be growing, drawing more people each time. A few days ago, they gathered holding artificial candles and glow sticks in an evening vigil.
Sunday’s gathering also drew some Japanese protesters, including representatives from
They said they hoped the Japanese government and people would try to help Myanmar by rejecting and putting pressure on the junta, including with economic sanctions.
Win Kyaw and his wife Ma Thida, both wearing the symbolic protest
Ma Thida, who held a framed portrait of Suu Kyi, pointed to the flowers in her own hair, noting she was wearing them proudly in her
“Just like those in Myanmar, we outside the country feel the same way and want to send our message,” said Win Kyaw, who has lived in Japan for 33 years and works at a restaurant.
He said people in Myanmar live in fear, unlike in Japan, which he said he likes because it is peaceful and has a democratic form of government.
“The longer I live in Japan, I hope more than ever for my country to become like Japan,” he said.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press