Democracy Under Threat

(Illustration by Hunter Williamson / Photo credit: MgHla (aka) Htin Linn Aye)

Smoke rose above the township. In the streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, security forces fired into the crowd of protestors. An activist group later reported that at least 20 demonstrators were killed. As the day unfolded, sounds of gunfire echoed across the city as military vehicles drove through residential neighborhoods.

Sunday’s bloodshed was just the latest in the government’s ongoing crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted after the military seized power on February 1. The night prior, a crowd of protestors held a vigil in direct opposition to an 8 p.m. curfew. The relative peace of the moment was a stark contrast to the violence earlier that day when security forces killed seven protestors in Mandalay and other parts of the country.

Over the past several weeks, daily protests have erupted, and night after night security forces have patrolled residential neighborhoods, firing weapons, setting off stun grenades, and conducting targeted raids. Reports have abounded of detainees being tortured or killed in police custody.

Despite the escalating violence, Myanmar nationals continue to resist the new ruling military junta. Bullets, torture, and death fail to silence their calls for a return to democracy.

What is happening in Myanmar?

On February 1, the military seized power and detained government officials, including the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The military justified its actions on the basis of allegations of election fraud. In November, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a landslide victory that was seen as a major rebuff to the country’s military. Upon taking power, the military declared a yearlong state of emergency and said elections would be held again at a later, unspecified date.

In response to the coup, government employees began a civil disobedience movement that quickly expanded into a much larger general strike. Myanmar citizens joined in the movement with demands for a restoration of democracy and the release of detained officials. The protests soon devolved into violence as the military junta launched a heavy-handed crackdown. So far, security forces have killed at least 126 protestors and detained thousands more, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, which has closely tracked the numbers.

Numerous reports suggest that security forces are conducting targeted raids, with some detainees facing torture or death while in police custody. Security forces have also seized universities and hospitals. In one instance, they forced patients out of a hospital.

A number of countries have condemned the military junta’s actions. On Friday, March 12, the US, India, Australia, and Japan called for a restoration of democracy.

“As long-standing supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasize the urgent need to restore democracy and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience,” the countries’ leaders said in a joint statement released by the White House.

The call followed sanctions imposed by Washington on the Myanmar military and key figures and companies. In February, the Federal Reserve of New York blocked an attempt by the Myanmar military to move $1 billion in funds held in the US after taking power.

Myanmar military officials say they have exercised “utmost restraint” in their handling of protests, a claim that the UN has called “absurd”. UN human rights investigator Thomas Andrew on March 12 joined a chorus of other voices calling for greater pressure on the military leadership in order to “strip away the junta's sense of impunity.”

Individuals claiming to be former police officers told Reuters that they were instructed by superiors to open fire on protestors. After refusing to do so, they fled to India. One Indian official said that some 100 people, mainly police officers and their families, have fled to the country.

The military coup crushed hopes for Myanmar’s infant democracy. For decades, the country suffered under military rule. In 2012, Myanmar was the second poorest country in Asia, richer only than Afghanistan. In an attempt to lift itself out of poverty and decrease reliance on China, the military government allowed a series of democratic reforms that eventually led to the election of the NDL in 2015. Nonetheless, the military retained a strong degree of control of domestic matters.

Since her detention in February, the military has accused NDL leader Suu Kyi of multiple corruption charges, such as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and, most recently, accepting illegal payments from the US.

Civilian government officials not detained have gone into hiding. On Saturday, the acting leader, Mahn Win Khaing Than, issued a statement on Facebook calling for a revolution to oust the military junta.

“This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close,” he said.

The Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which is representing the civilian government, is seeking recognition as the rightful government. Its leaders have reportedly secured support from some of Myanmar’s largest armed ethnic groups, which control vast amounts of the country. Mahn Win Khaing Than framed the moment as an opportunity to form an inclusive federal democracy. He also stated that the CRPH would attempt to pass legislation to allow citizens the right to self-defense.

The military government has declared the CRPH to be an illegal organization and that anyone involved with it can be charged with treason, which carries the death sentence. The CRPH and protestors have labeled the government and its security forces “terrorists”.

Some protestors have openly discussed sabotaging key targets, like a natural gas pipeline to China. A number of protestors view China as supporting the Myanmar military, and unsubstantiated rumors have circulated online of Chinese troops operating in the country. On Sunday, two Chinese factors were set on fire and looted. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, which left some Chinese employees injured. In a statement, China urged “Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar.”

While rebuking violence, Beijing has been quiet about the military’s coup, which it views as an internal affair. China, along with India, Vietnam, and Russia forced the removal of language in a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup. The published piece instead limited its criticism to the military’s use of violence against protestors.