Burma, also known as Myanmar, braced for empty streets on International Human Rights Day as protesters staged nationwide “silent strikes” in defiance of the military regime that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup. Photos on social media showed the streets of Yangon, a densely populated city usually crowded with public transportation, deserted on Friday, with all shops shuttered and no traffic. The nationwide silent strikes also brought the city of Mandalay to a standstill. “Video of Yangon and Mandalay being turned into ghost cities by massive #SilentStrike. People are displaying power and that they own the cities,” Civil Disobedience Movement tweeted on Friday with a video showing empty streets. The U.S. Embassy in Yangon has also issued an alert about the silent strike and advised its citizens to stay home, warning that “a military response of unknown proportions may result” from the demonstration. Since Thursday, …