Myanmar faced increasing isolation on Thursday as further more restrictions on Internet services hampered the ability of opponents of military rule to organise and report on violence, but protesters still rallied in defiance of a deadly crackdown.

While the security forces have focused on stamping out dissent in the commercial capital Yangon and other cities since a military coup ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, small demonstrations have erupted elsewhere.

Several thousand people marched in the central town of Natmauk on Thursday, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported. Natmauk is the birthplace of Aung San, who is still revered as the leader of Myanmar’s drive for independence from colonial power Britain, and is Suu Kyi’s father.

Security forces have used increasingly violent tactics to suppress daily demonstrations. The documented total of those killed in the unrest stands at 217, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group said, but the actual toll is probably much higher,

Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing took part in a video conference with other southeast Asian defence chiefs, his first international engagement since seizing power, state TV showed.

There was no indication the Myanmar crisis was discussed.

Western countries have condemned the coup and called for an end to the violence and for the release of Suu Kyi and others detained since the coup. Asian neighbours have offered to help find a solution, but the military has shown no sign of seeking reconciliation.

The army has defended its coup, saying its accusations of fraud in a November 8 election swept by Suu Kyi’s party were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised a new election but not set a date.

The junta has stepped up its efforts against Suu Kyi. The Nobel peace laureate, 75, is hugely popular for her struggle against military rule since 1988, during which time she has spent years in detention.

State TV said on Wednesday she was being investigated for bribery in connection with accepting four payments worth $550,000 from a businessman. The junta said last week that authorities were investigating her for receiving illegal payments. Her lawyer dismissed that accusation as a joke. He was not available for comment on Thursday.

Suu Kyi, who is being held in an undisclosed location, already faces various charges including illegally importing walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols. If convicted, she could be barred from politics and face imprisonment.

On Myanmar’s border with Thailand, hundreds of people who have fled towns and cities are sheltering in areas controlled by ethnic insurgents, an official from the Karen National Union said.

They included strike leaders, government staff, deserters from the police and military, and MPs.