(25 Feb 2021) A march through Yangon by supporters of Myanmar's military coup on Thursday was met with counter protests by demonstrators opposing the February 1 takeover.
Police removed barricades for the pro-military group, several hundred strong, as it marched, waving flags and carrying banners.
The action by authorities was in marked contrast to their usual practice of blocking the route of pro-democracy marches.
As the procession passed by, anti-coup protesters banged pots and pans and metal sheets and crossed their arms to show their disapproval.
Reports said some pro-military marchers were jeered by bystanders near the city's Central Railway station and responded by firing slingshots, throwing stones at them and then chasing them down.
Photos and videos on social media showed the attacks and injured people in downtown Yangon as police stood by without intervening.
A widely-circulated video showed one man stabbed in front of an office building near a major downtown intersection on the road to Sule Pagoda, a major venue for anti-coup protests.
The number of injured people and their condition could not immediately be learned.
Thursday chaos suggests the security situation may begin to deteriorate and complicates an already intractable standoff between the military and a protest movement that has been staging large-scale demonstrations daily to have Aung San Suu Kyi's government restored to power.
Supporters of the military have gathered in the streets before, especially in the days immediately before and after the coup, but had not used violence so openly.

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