On the one-year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, which generated a wave of violence and the arrest of the country’s main civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, an explosion at a pro-Army march left two dead and more than 30 wounded, illustrating the state of tensions in the Southeast Asian country.
The episode took place this Tuesday (1st), in Tachileik, a city in eastern Myanmar that borders Thailand, during an act in support of the military. No group claimed responsibility for the explosion. According to local media, a soldier died and war veterans are among the wounded.
The episode prompted the head of the military junta that seized power, Min Aung Hlaing, to extend the state of emergency imposed since the coup for another six months, amid threats from “internal and external saboteurs” and “terrorist attacks and destruction “, in the words of the official press.
Estimates indicate that the violent repression that followed the coup has already left more than 1,500 dead. Even so, the government has not been able to contain the resistance, which has joined the armed struggle on several fronts.
The anniversary of the coup was also marked by other types of protests, such as in Kyaukdataung, in the central region of the country, where a man set himself on fire and was hospitalized in serious condition.
The malaise was also evident in a less noisy way. The pro-democracy movement called for a silent strike that left the streets of some of Myanmar’s main cities deserted, such as Rangoon, the country’s main economic center, Mandalay, in the central region, and Myitkyina, to the north.
“No one leaves the neighborhood. Security forces patrol,” said one Rangoon resident. “Silence is the loudest cry we can give against soldiers and violent repression,” wrote an opponent on Twitter. The contrast was evident in Rangoon after the city, which dawned in turmoil, saw its streets suddenly empty at around 10am, the scheduled time for the protest to begin.
The junta threatened to confiscate products from establishments that closed their doors and warned that demonstrations or displays of “anti-military propaganda” could lead to accusations of treason and terrorism. The government says ten people have been arrested in Rangoon. “We can be arrested and spend our lives in jail if we are lucky. Or tortured and killed if we are unlucky,” said activist Nan Lin.
Images posted on social media showed quiet streets in several cities across the country. News portals also recorded demonstrations in support of the military in the capital, ​Naypyitaw, where thousands attended a rally with banners in support of the junta head. Episodes of violence have become common in Myanmar since Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi and fellow party members were arrested after winning the 2020 election, which the military accused of fraud.
In reaction, there were strikes and protests, which led to the death of about 1,500 civilians, in addition to illegal arrests of 11,787 people, according to figures released by the UN on Tuesday – the military disputes the figures.
Pressure is mounting against the dictatorship, investigated by the UN for crimes against humanity. Countries like the US, UK and Canada took advantage of the anniversary of the coup to impose new sanctions against the military junta that took power and called for a suspension of arms sales to the government.
“International justice has a very long memory, and one day the perpetrators of the most serious crimes committed in Myanmar will be held accountable,” said Nicholas Koumjian, director of the UN Independent Investigation Mechanism for Myanmar. The initiative, created in 2018, is mandated to compile evidence of international crimes committed in Myanmar and that international law has been violated.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said that “as long as the regime deprives the people of Myanmar of their democratic voice, we will make the military and its supporters pay for it.” The sanctions announced by Washington affect seven people and two entities, the Treasury Department said.
Among them are the country’s top justice officials: Attorney General Thida Oo, Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo and Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Tin Oo, linked to the Suu Kyi trial. Southeast Asian countries initiated an effort to resolve the crisis, but no progress was made.
Tom Andrews, a UN human rights expert in Myanmar, said the military junta was operating like a criminal enterprise. “The international community must take strong and significant steps to cut off the junta’s access to weapons, funds and legitimacy,” he said.
The military has accused the UN of bias and interference and refuses to give in to international pressure. After decades of running the country after a coup in 1962, the military began to withdraw from politics in 2010, freeing Suu Kyi from house arrest she had been in for 15 years.
The civilian leader’s party formed a government after the 2015 elections but was forced to share power with the army until the military abruptly ended the opening process a year ago. Since then, the economy has collapsed and there are regular power cuts and restrictions on internet access.
The government has repeated its commitment to call “free and fair” elections in August 2023 if stability is restored, the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar said on Tuesday. Suu Kyi, 76, is on trial for more than a dozen crimes, which carry up to 150 years in prison — charges that critics say are aimed at ensuring she never returns to political activity.
Source: Folha
