Myanmar youth get word of rebellion out; will fight military dictatorship 'till the end'

A 20-year-old woman standing with a group of people peacefully protesting against the recent military coup in Myanmar was shot dead by the military on February 19. A bullet fired by the military had pierced the motorcycle helmet that Mya Thwet Thwet Khine was wearing during the protests. This is not the first time that the Tatmadaw has resorted to such measures and it certainly won't be the last, warns a Yangon-based activist and a blogger who spoke to Republic Media Network on the condition of anonymity, where he is currently involved in organising mass protests in the country against the military junta's illegal takeover of the government.

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What's happening in Myanmar?

The military is now back in charge of the government and has declared a one-year-long state of emergency after it seized control on the State on February 1, following a general election in which the NLD (National League for Democracy) party founded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide.

The military, for reasons they claim concern 'national security' and voter fraud allegations in the recently concluded election in November 2020 have arrested State Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi along with other civilian leaders from its National League for Democracy (NLD) party that won with a thumping majority last year. Myanmar's Election Commission, however, has said there was no evidence to support the claims made by the military and that the coup was staged as a new session of Parliament was about to begin on Feb 1.

Following the allegations, both sides exchanged barbs until General Min Aung Hlaing — arguably the most powerful individual in the country who threatened to 'revoke' the recently drafted Constitution and send the country back to its previous form of ruling, that being a military-run government. Tensions grew after the General made such an open and violent call and also followed it up by briefly deploying tanks on the streets of Yangon and the nation's capital Naypyidaw along with pro-military protestors who took to the streets against the apparent election results. 

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Nationwide protests breakout against Tatmadaw

Mohinga Matters, a popular youth website in Yangon that is run by students and social activists across the country have taken the fight to various digital platforms. In the latest blog entry titled 'Freedom Memoirs', one of the founding members of the group regularly updates on the prevailing conditions on a day-to-day basis. She carefully curates her posts to alert international agencies to shed light on what's happening in the country. While exclusively speaking to Republic Media Network about the current situation there, she noted:

Before the blood of Mandalay folks dried, a man in the neighbourhood watch from Shwepyitha Township, Yangon, was shot dead by the police around midnight. As soon as the news was spread, netizens rushed to Twitter to tweet at the international community before the Internet shutdown at 1AM. Within six hours, the military took the lives of three men so easily as if they were from the slaughterhouse.

Last night was also eventful. The military does not just let people live in peace. There were suspicious persons “visiting” the neighbourhood of Insein, Yankin, and Tamwe in Yangon, other cities and towns in Myanmar. There was more presence of soldiers and police around Myitkyina both in the daytime and after curfews.

As protests keep spilling over to other parts of the country from Yangon, the military has ensured television signals have been effectively cut across the country, as are phone and internet access in the national capital Naypyitaw. While intra-city travel is not banned, intra-state travel has been restricted and all passenger flights grounded. Phone service in other parts of the country have also been disengaged and internet access is reported to be patchy in some less volatile and violence-prone areas of the country.

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Can Myanmar's military revoke the Constitution?

The Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) continues to enjoy 25% of seats in the Parliament unopposed, and automatically reserves key roles such as Home Ministry, Border Affairs, Defence Ministry, and one of the country's two vice presidency positions all to itself. It is mandated that these roles are headed by a serving military officer. Had the newly elected government headed by Aung San Suu Kyi been allowed to conduct its parliament sessions after the historic win last year, the constitution could have been amended to drastically reduce the military's power in the House but as it stands, the military continues wielding unparalleled power.

International reaction to Myanmar's military coup

India, at the third QUAD Ministerial meeting held on Thursday, February 18, reiterated the importance of upholding the rule of law and civil discourse while overseeing the transition in Myanmar's democracy, whose military recently took over the country in what is being acknowledged as a 'bloodless coup'. 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a statement following the meeting which observed that 'In the discussion pertaining to recent developments in Myanmar, the upholding of rule of law and the democratic transition was reiterated by India. Noting that regular Quad consultations hold value, the Ministers agreed to continue these useful discussions,' read MEA's statement from the meeting.

While the US, UK, EU and Australia are among those to have condemned the military takeover and termed it a "serious blow to democratic reforms" some countries have also threatened to reinstate sanctions against the now-defunct government. However, China blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup recently and stated that it was an 'internal matter' and urged all parties involved to 'resolve it peacefully' despite the mountain of evidence against Myanmar's military.

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