Myanmar police target striking railroad workers

Hundreds of police and soldiers raided a neighborhood in Yangon that is home to striking state railroad workers Wednesday morning.

It came as thousands of government workers carry on with a civil disobedience movement protesting Myanmar's military coup.

For weeks since the February 1 coup, workers at Myanmar's hospitals, banks transport centers and government ministries have aimed to disrupt Myanmar's economy and paralyze state institutions.

What happened during the raid?

Photos and video on social media showed officers blocking streets near the "Ma Hlwa Kone" train station and railroad worker staff compound. Around 800 workers there have been participating in a strike.

Police began by sealing off the Mingalar Taung Nyunt neighborhood in Myanmar's largest city. There were reports of people trying to escape, and it is unclear if anyone has been arrested.

"Around 300 security personnel are blocking the road searching for the people who are involved in the civil disobedience movement," a woman who lives at the site told AFP news agency.

"I escaped, but there were many left, I am worried about the remaining workers. I just hope they don't arrest the people, if they do it is troubling because they could beat and kill them," she said.

Why are police targeting railroad workers?

Wednesday morning's raid comes only days after the Myanmar Railway Workers' Union Federation issued a joint call with several other unions for a nationwide work stoppage.

State railroad workers were among the first groups to organize strikes against the coup, and have been the target of security forces.

Last month, police in the second largest city Mandalay roamed through a railroad workers' housing complex attempting to intimidate residents by shouting and randomly firing guns.

The rail strike has disrupted train service between the cities of Yangon and Mandalay. Junta officials told the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper Tuesday that service would return "in the near future."

The strike is aimed at a broad effort for the "full, extended shutdown of the Myanmar economy," according to a statement.

What is the scale of the protests in Myanmar?

Myanmar's security forces have been cracking down hard on anti-coup protesters.

Close to 2,000 people have been arrested and the death toll has climbed to more than 60.

There have been several instances of police firing live ammunition at crowds of protesters, along with tear gas and rubber bullets.

UN, US apply new pressure on Myanmar regime

The United Nations, along with the United States, applied new pressure on Myanmar military regime on Wednesday. The UN Security Council condemned the military's bloody crackdown on protesters, while the US sanctioned two adult children of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain is mulling additional sanctions on Myanmar, after punishing military leaders in February. Raab made the statement on social media after the US announced its sanctions on Wednesday.

"UK is exploring additional sanctions too – we are clear the regime will not be allowed to profit from abuse of power and human rights violations," Raab said in a tweet. 

wmr, wd/rt (AP, AFP)