'I don't want dictatorship, I just want boyfriend': Young Myanmar citizens protest with creative signs

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Tens of thousands of Myanmar demonstrators have taken to the streets for four days in a row to protest against the military coup, calling for the release of detained civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Protesters have begun gathering for the fourth day in a row in downtown Yangon. They are so far much smaller than in previous days, after the government announced new curfews and restrictions on large gatherings in several parts of the country. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/AG9NlKdIsT
— Frontier Myanmar (@FrontierMM) February 9, 2021

Young Myanmar protesters

Angry that the coup is negating the country's progress for the last decade when democratic reforms were introduced, protesters held up signs that expressed their dissatisfaction with the military.

While the country is not new to pro-democracy protests -- demonstrations in 1988 and 2007 had turned bloody, with several civilians and Buddhist monks killed by the army in violent crackdowns -- protests differ this time as they involve a younger generation that is more in tune with popular meme culture.

7.2.2021. The internet is back after a blackout of information. So today more than hundreds of thousands of people went on the streets especially young people for democracy. Just wanna say that You Fucked with the wrong generation. #SaveMyanmar pic.twitter.com/fTo13T2I5D
— Thura Min Saw Oo (@ThuraMinSawOo2) February 7, 2021

Perhaps influenced by other pro-democracy protests in the region, such as Thailand, some held up three-finger salutes -- a symbol of resistance against totalitarian oppressors in "The Hunger Games" movie -- as an anti-coup gesture.

Young demonstrators were also aided by a growing proliferation of smartphones and Internet access due to the policies introduced by the quasi-civilian government to open up the country's economy, according to Reuters.

Anti-coup protests show every sign of gaining steam. On the one hand, given history, we can well expect the reaction to come. On the other, Myanmar society today is entirely different from 1988 and even 2007. Anything's possible. https://t.co/xiu9iB29Gl
— Thant Myint-U (@thantmyintu) February 7, 2021

Here are some signs that young Myanmar citizens, including medical workers and civil service workers, held up while taking part in the protests.

"You f***ed with the wrong generation"

"So bad, even introverts are here."