YANGON, Oct 20: Military-run Myanmar on Saturday lifted a curfew in the main city of Yangon that was imposed on the eve of the junta’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests, a local official said.

“The curfew is over, effective today,” said the official, who declined to be named. “We will announce the end of the curfew via speakers” on trucks, he told AFP.

The military junta imposed the curfew in Yangon on the eve of its deadly crackdown on peaceful protests, led by Buddhist monks, in late September during which at least 13 people were killed and about 3,000 detained.

The curfew initially lasted from 9pm to 5am in Yangon but the government gradually reduced its hours to 11pm to 3am.

“I’m happy that the curfew was lifted. It was really affecting businesses and people’s moods,” said a Yangon resident in his 30s.

The end of the curfew came as the United States, a vocal critic of the regime, on Friday announced new sanctions against Myanmar’s military leaders in a bid to step up pressure on the government, freezing the US assets of 11 more junta leaders.—AFP