Myanmar protesters remember General Aung San

Myanmar protesters remember General Aung San

Myanmar protest marches continued over the weekend – marking the anniversary of a general who fought the British for independence.

Myanmar protest marches continued over the weekend – marking the anniversary of a general who fought the British for independence.

Footage shows locals walking through the capital Yangon on Saturday (Feb 13) while holding banners decrying the military, who seized power with a coup on February 1.

The rallies coincided with the birthday of General Aung San - father of Aung San Suu Kyi - who was born on February 13 and was instrumental in securing Burma’s independence from Great Britain.

He briefly switched allegiance to Japan during their failed WWII advance then back again before being assassinated in 1947.

Locals remembered the late military leader while calling for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to be reinstated.

She was ousted from power by the army and is believed to be under house arrested with all communication methods removed.

Army chiefs last week reacted to the mass protests by closing Internet and phone connections across the capital on Saturday (Feb 6) shortly after 11 am local time before it was restored on Sunday (Feb 7) at around 3 pm local time.

They then blasted protesters with water cannon and fired warning gunshots earlier this week.

International pressure on Myanmar has grown, with U.S. Democrat politicians warning of sanctions on the country.

Joe Biden made the announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

Burma was governed by Britain from 1824 to 1948, during which time it became the second-wealthiest country in Southeast Asia but following independence was ruled by the military until 2011 when democratic reforms began.