Unusual small pro-military rallies held in Myanmar

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Rare demonstrations in support of Myanmar’s military-installed government have been held in several of the country’s towns and cities, as militants opposed to the army’s February seizure of power continue their resistance. The relatively small rallies in at least nine locations, with crowds topping out at about 200 people, were evidently linked to the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which begins Tuesday. No violence was reported in the demonstrations, some of which included Buddhist monks. ASEAN has excluded Myanmar’s leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, from the summit because of his government’s refusal to allow the group’s special envoy to meet with the country’s ousted former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.