This week, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing's forces imposed martial law in six areas of Yangon, following the bloodiest day of violence against anti-coup protesters amid arson attacks on Chinese-funded factories carried out by unknown groups. Martial law was also imposed in parts of the second city Mandalay, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Mobile network data across the country was cut for a second day Wednesday, internet monitoring service Netblocks reported. With little information coming out it is difficult for news organizations, and human rights and advocacy groups to assess and verify the current situation.
Protesters and journalists have relied on their mobile phones to live stream demonstrations and document police crackdowns, and the military's suppression of information has increased fears it could lead to more human rights abuses, killings and arbitrary arrests.
Thousands of people fled Hlaingthaya on Tuesday after it was placed under martial law, according to Reuters and local media Frontier Myanmar. Images showed residents carrying their belongings as they packed into cars, tuk tuks and trucks.
Speaking to Reuters, a labor organizer in Hlaingthaya said, "here is like a war zone, they are shooting everywhere," and added most residents were too frightened to go outside.
Two doctors told Reuters there were wounded people in need of medical attention in the area, but the army had sealed its entrances.
Matthew Smith, CEO of Fortify Rights, said on Twitter more killings were reported in Hlaingthaya on Tuesday, however, emergency vehicles were unable to access the area due to road blocks.
Local media have reported a heavy police presence in the six Yangon townships under martial law. Anyone arrested in these areas can now be tried by military courts, with sentences including imprisonment, hard labor and the death penalty, according to Human Rights Watch.
Martial law under the junta's regime means the military commander of the Yangon region is given "full administrative and judicial authority" in districts where martial law is declared, local media outlet Myanmar Now reported.
"Effectively, martial law means that the military has complete control over these areas, rather than working through civilian administrators or judges," said Melissa Crouch, law professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia and author of "The Constitution of Myanmar," on her website.
In the past, such trials were usually held behind closed doors, outside of public scrutiny or proper procedure, and a conviction was almost certain.
"This all but ensures legal proceedings that will deprive many of those charged for peaceful opposition to military rule of their basic fair trial rights, including the right to appeal," said Linda Lakhdhir, legal adviser in the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, in a report.
In state mouthpiece Global New Light of Myanmar Tuesday, Min Aung Hlaing said martial law was imposed after protests "turned into riots and violence."
"Violent acts emerged in some areas, such as burning public property and factories. So, security forces had to handle the situation very hard. The protesters raided police stations and administrative offices and burned factories," the report said.
Opposition to Myanmar's junta continues to spread. On Wednesday, the most powerful religious body in the Buddhist-majority nation said it will end support to the military by stopping all its activities, according to Myanmar Now.
An abbot told the news agency the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (MaHaNa), a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees the country's monkhood, called on the authorities to end the "violent arrests, torture and killing of unarmed civilians" and to "prevent the looting and destruction of public property."
