Myanmar protesters hold "garbage strike" as crackdown death toll tops 500

Protesters in Myanmar launched a "garbage strike" by throwing discarded items at key road intersections in a new civil disobedience drive Tuesday, as the death toll from the military crackdown surpassed 500, per Reuters.

The big picture: The campaign comes after the junta ordered Yangon residents to "dispose of garbage properly," Reuters notes. Monitoring group AAPP said 510 people had been killed by the military since the Feb. 1 coup. The U.S. on Monday suspended trade engagement with Myanmar over the bloodshed.

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