Junta extends martial law

Not backing down: Teachers taking part in the civil disobedience movement demonstration against the military coup in Dooplaya district in Myanmar’s Karen State. — AFP

The country’s junta has declared martial law in a town in Chin State after blaming “armed terrorists” for attacks on a police station and a bank, state media reported, amid an upsurge in fighting between the military and ethnic rebels in border areas.

In the face of widespread opposition, the junta has struggled to retain order amid daily protests in cities and fighting in border states since overthrowing elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi to end tentative steps towards democracy.