Tulsans Gather At City Hall To Protest Myanmar Coup

More than 8000 miles from the country of Myanmar, protestors in Tulsa are well aware of what is happening inside of the country.

"We only had democracy for about 10 yearsy, and now it's under dictatorship again," said Suan Kim, a protestor in Tulsa who helped organize it.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is located in southeast Asia. Earlier this week a coup led to the arrest of democratically elected leaders, and the military has taken over.

The coup has caused protests throughout that country and around the world--including right here in Tulsa, which has about 10,000 to 12,000 Burmese.

"We are not happy about that; we are in support of the freedoms of Burma," said Kim. "We are asking America to pressure. We are asking America to support."

Organizers said their goal is to raise American awareness about this situation. A lot of people showed up, holding signs, chanting, and a lot of them were holding American flags as well.

Kim said they also were showing support for their president and state counsellor who were arrested on Monday.

Others said they're concerned about family members still in the country during this political unrest.

And protestors said they'll always fight for democracy no matter where they are and no matter how far they are from home.

Organizers think about 500 people showed up.