Protesters hold a poster mentioned “we deeply apologized all Kachin to Rohingya who are under oppression “ during protest in Myanmar. Protesters have also called out the military’s repression of the Rohingya and other minority groups with signs during the demonstrations, a remarkable show of solidarity. Members of Myanmar’s persecuted ethnic and religious minority groups - who still faced repression under Suu Kyi’s leadership - have also joined in the uprisings.
PROTEST MYANMAR TRIAL
Another charge - of meeting with a large crowd in defiance of Covid-19 public health measures - was announced last week as the leader’s trial began in secret.īut Myanmar’s civilians have met the military’s actions with sustained resistance, pulling from a wide swath of Myanmarese, including students, teachers, doctors, bankers, and laborers. The ousted Suu Kyi was detained and eventually charged with allegedly importing illegal walkie-talkies. The military retained a degree of control even after the country undertook democratic reforms about a decade ago, but the February coup dispensed with even a nominal democratic government. Still, the military has claimed that it will retain control until it can host new elections in a year. Neither the country’s Union Election Commission nor international observers found evidence of widespread irregularities that would have changed the outcome of the vote. Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, won overwhelmingly in elections in November.īut just as the new government was set to be sworn in, the military interceded and insisted the election results were invalid because of widespread voter fraud. The protesters are demanding the end of the military junta and the restoration of the democratically elected civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The protesters are proof the Myanmar coup is not going as planned According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a Thailand-based human rights organization, 684 people have been arrested, charged, or sentenced since the February 1 coup, and 637 people are still in detention or face outstanding warrants. Activists also worry that the blackouts may give authorities cover to try to arrest protesters and other political organizers. The military junta continues to impose internet and communication blackouts, an attempt to prevent people from organizing. The first protester to die - a 20-year-old woman who was hit by a bullet at a Naypyidaw protest - has helped galvanize the movement, despite fears of an even more aggressive crackdown from the military rulers. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, though there were sporadic reports of violence and arrests, particularly in the capital of Naypyidaw.īut at least three people have died in confrontations with police since the protests began, including two protesters who were killed in Mandalay when police fired live and rubber bullets into a crowd of striking workers. In cities like Yangon, authorities set up barricades and parked armored vehicles to try to block the mass gatherings, but the protesters were undeterred.
Monday’s action went forward despite the military’s threats that mass resistance would lead to “a confrontation path where will suffer the loss of life.” Protesters chose the date because it echoes the Aug(8/8/88) protests against military rule, which the military suppressed in a bloody crackdown. Monday’s demonstrations - which some are calling the five twos, or the “22222 uprising” - saw hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets of Myanmar’s cities stores, banks, and fast food chains shut down in solidarity. Mass protests are nationwide in #Myanmar today - Nicola Smith February 22, 2021
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