It is two years since the military coup d’état in Myanmar, February 1, 2021. Outside Myanmar’s embassies in neighboring countries such as Thailand and the Philippines, the protests are loud, but inside the country it is the silence that roars. The streets are empty of people and the shop doors are closed, in a nationwide display of reluctance. – Empty streets are an active protest and an expression of people’s contempt for the military, says professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Geography, Kristian Stokke, to news. He says that people are not staying indoors out of fear, but that in this way they are boycotting the military junta’s desire to show the world that everything is normal in Myanmar. Empty streets at Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, 02/01/2023. Photo: STR / AFP Crises – People are having a very difficult time. They have lost their basic rights, political rights, human rights, and the economy is in deep crisis, says Stokke. There is also a crisis socially, and when it comes to their living conditions. – Many have fled, many are in prison, many have been killed, many have been displaced within Myanmar and internationally, explains Stokke. Kristian Stokke is a professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Geography, and Myanmar expert Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news The coup began on the morning of February 1, 2021, when Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and other representatives from the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) were deposed , and the military took power. By then, elected officials and representatives had governed the country together for five strained years. In the aftermath of the coup, more than 1,500 have lost their lives and almost 8,800 have been imprisoned or detained. Protesters outside Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, hold up a picture of democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / Reuters Tactics Attacks from the air are one of the military junta’s deadly tactics, and are now being used more often, the BBC writes. However, the resistance has not diminished. – What we have seen in the last two years is a stronger and broader resistance movement against the military than we have ever seen before, says Professor Stokke. He has no faith that the population will put up with military rule. – Military rule cannot be a path to stability, peace or democracy in Myanmar. The realization that people have means that many will continue to find opportunities to resist, including with weapons, says Stokke. He refers to a wide range of strategies the people use to weaken the military. There are popular protests, but also an economic resistance strategy in the form of strikes and civil disobedience. It happens in the healthcare system, in education, in transport and in industry. Empty streets in Yangon, Myanmar 02/01/2023. Photo: STR / AFP Resistance movement It has also never happened before that many in the Buddhist majority join together with ethnic nationalities in a joint political resistance movement. – They are now united behind a common revolutionary agenda for a federal democracy, says Stokke. This will mean that ethnic groups get co-determination and self-determination in a federal state. Myanmar is a country that for many decades has had strong opposition to the military, especially from ethnic army groups. As of now, the military probably does not have control over more than half of Myanmar’s land, but there is nothing to indicate that the junta wants anything other than to hold on to power. – Fool’s game Protesters outside Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, hold up a picture of democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / Reuters It is possible that they will announce elections in August after more than two years of a state of emergency, but hardly to weaken their own position. – It is a fool’s game, an attempt to legitimize the military rule. The military has shown that it wants to achieve long-term political control, by all possible means, says the professor. The military has put in place a new electoral registration act that ensures victory for the military’s own party, but Stokke emphasizes that it would be very difficult to carry out an election. – The military has no control, and will only be able to hold elections in very limited areas in Myanmar. The military junta declared on Wednesday an extension of the state of emergency, which will probably also postpone the election. It may also happen that the military drops the election and instead digs up a section in a law to legitimize a longer extension of the state of emergency. – The concerned UN is asking the international community to distance itself from the election plans, and the Norwegian government is concerned. – I am outraged by the reports of serious human rights violations, including against children. Restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly, arrests and violent attacks against civilians cause great suffering, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt in a press release. She elaborates that an inclusive and meaningful political dialogue is necessary for Myanmar to be able to return to a democratic process. New sanctions against companies linked to the military are now being introduced by Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. Professor Stokke believes that international pressure is important, but that only the people of Myanmar can overthrow the military junta.
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Silent protests mark two years since the coup in Myanmar – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
