Some shops at the Myanmar Plaza in Yankin Township have been closed since the morning of November 26, with almost no entry and exit, and security forces are deployed around the plaza, sources said.

Some shops were closed and security forces patrolled the area following the public criticism in related with the arrest of some protesters by the security staff of Myanmar Plaza on the afternoon of November 25.

A resident of Yankin Township, near the Myanmar Plaza, said, “In the early hours of the morning, we could still see a few people coming and going. Later, the entrances and exits were closed and we saw no one enter or leave the building. That morning, police and soldiers are seen guarding the entrance at east and west of the plaza, at the Sedona Hotel side entrance and between the Melia Hotel and the Myanmar Plaza.”

The photos and video footages of security guards, who forcibly arrested the young protesters, were emerged in social media yesterday and a photo of a young woman lying on the ground was apprehended by two plaza security guards and video footage of some of the protesters being chased by the plaza security guards.

Then, social media users wrote urging the public not to shop at Myanmar Plaza and not buy from the shops opened in the plaza and on the morning of November 26, the number of visitors to the plaza dwindled and most of the shops were closed, according to photos posted on social media.

At 9:30 pm on November 25, the Myanmar Plaza issued a statement apologizing for the arrest of the protesters by the security guards appointed by the plaza.

The Myanmar Plaza Administration Office has launched a detailed investigation into the incident that is circulating on social media today, and we fully accept the right to freedom of democratic expression and have no policies that prohibit such acts. In today's case, it is unfortunate to know that our security personnel were misbehaving instead of speaking peacefully.

Myanmar Plaza is well aware of how the people involved in the incident and the public feel about this issue and sincerely apologizes for the incident. It is informed that all the young people involved in the incident left the scene without any danger after the incident. The Myanmar Plaza Administration Office said it would take a closer look at the incident and tighten rules and responsibilities to those responsible to prevent further such misconduct.