As we have been reporting since the 1 February coup in Myanmar, protests continue to break out in the country to call the military junta illegitimate, despite hundreds being killed by the country’s security forces.
Tens of thousands of protesters in Myanmar have taken to the streets to fight for democracy after a military coup overturned recent election results and arrested the civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who reportedly won by a landslide this past November. The protesters – many of them young people – face an emboldened police force backed by the military.
Suu has since been deposed and is in custody. Last week, she faced new charges when she appeared before a judge in Naypyitaw, the country’s capital, the Associated Press reported. She has already been charged with importing walkie-talkies, unlicensed use of the devices, and breaking the official secrets act, the report said.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that supporters of Suu Kyi have put in place a “unity government” that will appeal to international assistance and “diplomatic recognition” as they try to challenge the military rule. The report said that the founders of the government included members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party who have reemerged from exile after the coup. The group will also include minorities in senior roles.
According to the paper, Dr. Sasa, the unity government’s minister of international co-operation, said,
“As leaders, we will serve and honor all as brothers and sisters regardless of their race, or religion, or their community of origin or their walk of life… All will have a vitally important role to play in the great cause of liberating our nation from the scourge of this murderous military junta, and all will have equal rights as citizens of Myanmar.”
He said the government seeks to bring justice for all minorities, including “our Rohingya brothers, sisters, and for all.”
The paper pointed out that the violence shows no signs of slowing, and the country is inching toward economic ruin. No other government, despite overtures by Russia, has recognized the junta as legitimate. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military chief, will attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia on 24 April, according to Reuters. It is his first known foreign trip since the coup.
The report said the junta released 23,184 prisoners from jails across the country “though few if any democracy activists arrested since the coup were thought to be among them.”
Some businesses have announced that they are pulling out of the country due to the crisis, including Posco C&C, South Korea’s largest steelmaker.
The World Bank recently reported that the country’s economy is expected to contract by 10 percent in 2021, which is in stark contrast to its prediction in October that the country’s GDP could grow by 5.9 percent, according to Reuters.
TREND FORECAST: While the mainstream media focuses on the COVID War – and now the death of 99-year-old Prince Phillip of the U.K. and blasts photos Queen Elizabeth, sitting alone in a huge church, wearing a mask, mourning the loss of her husband – barely a word on the social and political atrocities of Myanmar is being reported.
While the counter government will continue to attract disaffected masses, we maintain our forecast that while the military may make minor concessions, they will continue to dominate and rule the nation.
