The incredible courage of the protesters in Myanmar

Security forces killed at least 38 people and injured more than 100 in protests across Myanmar on Wednesday. At least 54 people have been killed since the military coup that dissolved Myanmar’s democratically elected parliament and resulted in the arrest of hundreds of politicians and civil activists. The protesters are demanding a reversal of the coup and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s elected civilian leader and head of the most influential political party, if the authorities believed that the use of live ammunition against the protesters would dampen their challenge, they were wrong. Hundreds of thousands, unarmed but organized, turned out in Myanmar’s main cities day after day, demanding democracy in stirring up manifestations of civil disobedience nationwide. In some cases, they drew inspiration from the Year of the Opposition in Hong Kong, wearing construction helmets and carrying umbrellas as temporary protection. Women from all walks of life – from doctors to students to garment workers – are everywhere on the front lines. In the widely circulated photos, Kayal Sen was last seen in crowds of protesters, wearing a simple black T-shirt with a simpler message: “Everything will be fine.” But there are all indications that the situation could get worse: The military junta that masterminded the coup is swinging, regardless of widespread international condemnation. The Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has a bleak reputation for violence against the country’s people. He is implicated in atrocities against ethnic minorities, including allegations of genocide and systematic mass rape. In the aftermath of the coup, researchers discovered hundreds of videos circulating on social media of soldiers in uniform threatening to slaughter ordinary citizens. “With the protest movement gaining ground, the Myanmar army responds brutally, indiscriminately firing into the crowd and shooting demonstrators, my colleague Shaibani Muhtani wrote. The shoot-to-kill – targeting the heads or chests of protesters – emerged as a crowd control tactic, where snipers pick up targets and hope Their death causes protesters to flee and disperse them. “The use of lethal force against protesters who rescue others illustrates how little feared by the forces of the anti-coup movement is,” said Richard Weir, a Crisis and Conflict Researcher at Human Rights Watch. Security is accountability for their actions. ”The crisis in Myanmar will be the subject of closed deliberations at the UN Security Council on Friday. It is unclear whether anything substantial will emerge from the session. Western governments have already passed a series of sanctions targeting senior military officers, while rejecting Members of the United States, the European Union and a number of European Chambers of Commerce in Myanmar invite to meet officials of the military regime On Thursday, Reuters reported that senior generals in the military council tried to control Woe to nearly $ 1 billion in government funds held by the Federal Reserve in New York a few days after the coup, but US government officials thwarted it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the violence against the protesters. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the administration is calling on China – which has extensive, albeit complex, relations with Myanmar’s ruling establishment – “to play a constructive role in restoring the civilian-led government” in the country. , It seems that the military regime is ready to accept a return to the pariah status that it had maintained not long ago. In a briefing with reporters, Kristin Schranner Burgner, the UN special envoy to Myanmar, spoke with the country’s deputy military commander, Soo Win, as she pressured him on the junta’s path to isolation. “The answer was: We got used to the sanctions and we survived,” she said. “When I also warned that they would go into isolation, the answer was:“ We have to learn to walk with only a few friends. ”In the face of escalating violence, protesters in Myanmar must now muster up more courage. Said Ma Sandar, Assistant Secretary General Union of Myanmar Trade Unions, told the New York Times: “We may lose some heroes in this revolution.” “Our women’s blood is red.” One hope lies in the possibility of splits and rebellions within the security forces, amid sporadic reports of police officers joining street demonstrators and abandoning The forces separated from their regiments to avoid following the orders of the military council. ” “With a popular mandate, the generals are totally dependent on the coercive apparatus of the state to wield power and maintain control over the civilian population,” wrote Andrew Sellth, an assistant professor at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. If there was a serious breakdown in discipline, let alone an army rebellion, or a split between the army and police forces, they would be in real trouble. Based on past practices, they will react quickly and forcefully to crush any dissident elements. ”