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"How to protest", learning from smart Myanmar citizens who united overnight

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On February 1, the Myanmar military detained key politicians who had been legally elected, including State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, and seized power. Protests by citizens against the coup have spread inside and outside Myanmar.

The national army is trying to stop the protests by putting the people in extreme fear, but the people who have been under the military regime for a long time are united, moving around wisely, and intensifying their protests. We interviewed Mr. Migusa Shimaoka, a Myanmar consultant who has served as an interpreter for the President of Myanmar and other dignitaries, and who is familiar with the situation in Myanmar, about the situation there.

Why did the military coup take place?

In Myanmar, the military has been strong since the country's independence in 1948, and has controlled the government for nearly 50 years since the coup d'etat by General Ne Win in 1962.

"Since 2016, when Suu Kyi unexpectedly rose to the post of State Counselor, a position above that of the President, the military may have become increasingly concerned that the constitution, which guarantees its political influence, would be amended," said Ms Shimaoka.

"The military has a strong sense that they are protecting the country from threats from neighboring countries such as China and from conflicts with ethnic minorities since the independence. They believe that without them, the country would not be able to run. And that is why they believe that they should protect their political status."

Myanmar's economy has been growing since the country's democratization in 2011. And the military, which had invested in a variety of businesses through military-affiliated conglomerates, had gained significant economic benefits. It seems that the consolidation of political power won out over the risk of losing those benefits.

Pot banging and boycott of banks and railroads - citizens' desperate protest

The military's coup d'etat came as a huge shock to the people. However, the people are said to be strongly united, calm and wise in their stand. This is because they have experienced many democracy movements in the past and have been violently suppressed by the military.

During the long military rule in Myanmar, there have been many large-scale pro-democracy movements, and each time, many activists have been detained by the military and bloodshed has occurred. In the 1988 pro-democracy movement, which was particularly large, thousands of activists were said to have been killed, and many were forced to flee the country.

"In the immediate aftermath of the coup, people felt great anger, but remained calm so as not to give the military an excuse to crack down. No one actually protested on the streets, and people started to express their protest on Facebook," told Ms Shimaoka. 

The day after the coup d'etat, pot-banging began to spread, with everyone from children to the elderly participating at 8:00 pm every night.

She said, "If someone was about to be caught by the police for banging pots, everyone in the district would bang on the pots and pans and say, 'Catch us all,' and talk about stopping it."

At the same time as the pot-kettle banging, the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), in which civil servants boycott their work because they cannot serve in the military government, also spread quickly.

"The day after the coup, health care workers in public hospitals started a civil disobedience movement, and the circle of this activity spread rapidly," told she.

Even in the central government, many people are boycotting their work and protesting, even at the risk of dismissal or arrest. In some ministries, more than half of the civil servants are boycotting, and the movement has also spread to private banks and railroad employees. As a result, quite a number of institutions from hospitals to universities, banks and public transport are currently suspended.

According to the Myanmar media outlet Frontier, airport control center employees are also boycotting. It is said that just one day of not being able to fly a jet can cause a loss of US$200,000 (about 21 million yen).

Young people opposed to the military regime are calling on employees to join the CDM and boycott their duties in front of organizations such as the central bank and customs, which are still functioning.

"Everyone was restraining their activities, but when the Internet was shut down by the military (on the weekend of February 6-7) and social networking sites, the only means of communication, were interrupted, people finally took to the streets to protest," told Ms Shimaoka.

Still, the protests have been very peaceful, with no radical actions being taken. Even so, the protests have been very peaceful, with people holding out bottles of water side by side in front of police officers who were trying to restrict the movement of the protesters, showing their non-violent stance.

They are also very careful about their language to avoid provoking the military and maintain order.

There were also many young people who wrote large letters such as "We want democracy" in white paint on the roads to send a strong message for democracy.

The sad but clever reason for Myanmar's youth to protest in costume

The people who are now leading the movement against the military regime are the young people who have enjoyed free access to information and freedom in the decade since 2011, the generation Z, which is known as the digital natives as well as in Japan.

Ms Shimaoka told "Young people are just on their cell phones and are assumed that don't care about politics, so it was unexpected that young people today would be so interested in the future."

"In the past democratic movement, many people protested against the military just straightforward. But this time, young people are more tactic and successful in avoiding the intervention by the police and the military." 

There are also groups of people demonstrating in flamboyant costume-like outfits.

"Some of them wear flashy costume-like outfits and hold up placards in English, probably because they believe that foreign support is necessary for the democratization. The words on the placards are often stylish and appeal to the younger generation," she said.

The sight of groups demonstrating in princess dresses and Spider-Man outfits was reported by the BBC, Reuters and other foreign media, and spread via Twitter.

They also dared to use a method reminiscent of demonstrations in other Asian countries, such as the umbrellas in Hong Kong, in an attempt to attract attention.

"It's really encouraging to see how they use their natural cheerfulness to save their strength by making jokes and laughing it off," said Ms Shimaoka. 

On 17th Feb, a large number of cars got stuck on the streets of the main roads in various places, pretending to have broken down, and traffic was greatly disrupted. This made it difficult for military vehicles to move, and those who had not yet boycotted could not go to work.

Movement led by young people who are supported by the entire nation 

In the past, pro-democracy protests have had a clear leader leading them and the military has arrested those people and suppressed their activities. On the contrary, there is no leader this time, and it is difficult to see how the movements are spreading, which is very smart.

Prominent democracy activists in the past are praising Generation Z for leading such activities and calling on social media to support them.

"I thought that the baton was passed then," recalled Ms Shimaoka.

The whole country instantly embraced and supported these young people.

In the past, successful business people and adults in important positions in government and international organizations have avoided making political statements due to high risks with their positions, but not this time.

"One of the characteristics of this movement is that more and more people are clearly expressing their intention to protest, without taking any risks."

In addition, activities to support those participating in the boycott and demonstrations quickly spread, with food and water being brought in.

In one of the major supermarkets, a counter has been set up to distribute water and food donated by the public, so that people participating in the protests can take what they need for free. This is traditionally recognized as an important activity to promote the democratic movement.

"If the coup happened overnight, people were united overnight."

"The leaflets carried by the demonstrators may have been printed by printing companies, and the demonstrators may have taken them out to the streets with them. It's amazing how quickly they are prepared."

In addition, there are many young people who collect the garbage scattered after the demonstration.

今回2021年のデモと1988年のデモとでは何か違うのという質問がされましたが、その答えがとても印象的でした。その答えは今回の2021年はデモ解散後に若者がゴミ拾いしているのが大きな違いでした。 1988年のデモでは国民同士が殺し合いまで...

Posted by ThetWin Aung on Sunday, February 7, 2021

The people of Myanmar are highly religious, and the Global Giving Index Index 2018 by the UK's Charities Aid Foundation ranks them as the country that has given the most in the past five years. Even though the country is designated as a ”Least developed country" by the United Nations, the spirit of "the haves giving to the have-nots" is ingrained in the country.

A national army that puts its citizens in extreme fear

While the people are gaining momentum, the national army granted amnesty to 23,000 prisoners on February 11, according to Reuters. It is analyzed that the intention is to deliberately disrupt the society and incite fear among the citizens.

The military commander-in-chief has full authority after the coup and can change laws anytime at will. According to the BBC and other media reports, on February 13, the coup regime made it legally possible to detain people for more than 24 hours without a warrant, search private property, and conduct surveillance. It then began arresting health care workers and other public officials who had been boycotting work in the civil disobedience movement during curfew hours. Journalists have also been detained.

"Even in a situation like this, the local community is functioning and people are helping each other to cope," told Ms Shimaoka

When the police come to arrest someone, a large number of residents surround the police, negotiate with them, and drive them back. Whenever suspicious activity occurs, they call out on social media and bang on the pot to gather people.

"In addition, in order to instill fear in the people, the national army seems to be using released prisoners and the lowest level of people to encourage arson of houses at night and harming the residents."

In fact, a number of arsons have occurred, and the residents have formed a neighborhood watch group to keep an eye out for suspicious people every night.

"When they do catch someone, they don't do anything rough, but try to deter them by filming them and spreading them live on social media. Although everyone is spending sleepless days in fear, the norms within the general population are functioning and there is no real chaos. I feel the power of humanity."

According to the BBC and other media, the military has since shut down the Internet from 1 to 9 a.m. every night. According to "BBC" and other media, the national army has since shut down the Internet from 1:00 to 9:00 a.m. every night. In Yangon, dump trucks and armored vehicles are driving through residential areas, and armed soldiers are confronting demonstrators. According to Channel News Asia and other media, guns and other weapons have been used against non-violent demonstrators in local cities, resulting in casualties and deaths.

In addition, according to Reuters and other media, the Myanmar military has announced that it is preparing a cyber security law, and has announced that it will monitor and censor the Internet extensively.

Myanmar's People Don't Want to be Forgotten by the World

The Myanmar military has declared a state of emergency and said that elections will be held again in a year, but politicians who were elected after the transfer of civilian rule have been detained, making fair elections unlikely.

If the demonstrations continue for a long time, people will become exhausted. When that happens, there is a possibility that the national army will become even more aggressive. We'll have to keep a close eye on them for a while.

The hottest time of the year in Myanmar is coming and the temperature will be near 40 degrees Celsius, which will make street demonstrations more difficult.

"The people of Myanmar are asking for the world's support in their non-violent resistance to the armed forces."

The U.S. has also announced economic sanctions against Myanmar's military leaders, but it is doubtful that they will be effective in stopping the military coup.

For now, Myanmar is still attracting the world's attention, but if the situation becomes prolonged and there are no more demonstrations, the international coverage will go downhill. With the corona not subsiding, it is hard to say how long the strength and momentum of those fighting the fear will last.

"The people of Myanmar are afraid that they will be forgotten by the world, as they once were."

In the past, when a major democracy movement broke out and was suppressed by the national army, international condemnation temporarily increased and pressure was applied. In the past, when a major democracy movement occurred and the military suppressed it, international condemnation and pressure temporarily increased, but as the situation remained unchanged, international attention gradually decreased, and Myanmar was forgotten and the military dictatorship continued for a long time.

"The military dictatorship has lasted for a long time, and everyone is afraid that things will go back to the way they were. So I think it is important to keep as much interest in Myanmar as possible. Also, young people in Myanmar see the current situation as no longer a matter of the internal politics of one country, but of protecting democracy in the world. I hope you will support young people who think seriously about the future of the world in this way."

"But when I see them acting in an orderly fashion and daring to carry on with their normal lives, I feel a bit releaved. While the citizens have been under the military rule for a long time, the military is trying to take over the government for the first time. Obviously, the former is more experienced. I have a sense that they will be able to show us something extraordinary and miraculous with their cleverness and humor, which will empower us too."

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