Myanmar Military Coup Results in Millions of Protesters
Violent clashes between protestors and the military have recently clogged the streets of Myanmar. Twi months ago, on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military surged against the decade-old democratic system, staging a coup-d'etat immediately after the landslide victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the general election on November 8, 2020. The NLD swept the election, taking 83% of parliament seats.
To understand the coup and response, it is important to recognize the tumultuous history behind the current political resistance in Myanmar. The Southeast Asian country was a colony of Britain for the majority of the 19th century until the momentum of the regional decolonization movement led to the creation of the independent nation in 1948. In 1962, the military’s dissatisfaction with state policy and national promotion of Buddhism led to a coup, staged and led by General Ne Win. Ne Win quickly did away with the federal promotion of Buddhism, indoctrinating the “Burmese Way to Socialism” as a replacement. His restrictive government policy nationalized the economy, altered the government to a one-party socialist system, and banned independent and non-regulated news coverage. In 1974, a newly ratified constitution transferred power to a People’s Assembly, chaired by General Win among other military leaders. In response to the legislative actions of the military junta, a military group in power through the use of force, the Opposition National Democratic Front was formed by regional minority groups who mobilized resistance using guerilla tactics. As this resistance grew in the early years of the military government, it culminated in a wave of protests in the late 80s which resulted in the deaths of thousands of anti-government protesters.
Around the time of these violent anti-military protests, the NLD politician and opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was put under house arrest. In the 1990 election, the year after her arrest, Kyi’s landslide victory was completely ignored by the junta as military rule continued.
Fast forward to 2015: after years of fighting and national recognition of Kyi’s efforts towards peaceful democratic turnover, the government ordered a ceasefire with 16 rebel groups. The NLD opposition party finally won enough seats in parliament to form a government and Aung San Suu Kyi’s election reinstated democracy after half a century of military government. Her reign was characterized by reopened diplomatic channels, a Nobel Peace Prize, international renown, but also controversy: her defense of the Myanmar military’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims.
In the present day, history repeats itself. When the NLD’s successful reelection undermined pro-military efforts to take control of parliament, the military responded by alleging voting fraud and overthrowing the sitting government. The federal election committee has been unable to find any truth to these claims. As Aung San Suu Kyi faces charges behind closed doors, protesters have taken over the streets in millions, fully aware of the violence similar actions were met within earlier protests. While the military has continued to attempt to deter civilians through a show of force—barricades and vehicles have been strategically staged in urban centers, snipers have been placed on rooftops as armed vehicles patrol below—protests have continued to peacefully spread through towns and cities across the country.
In the weeks to come, it will be important to monitor military action as these protests grow. The resistance has already resulted in multiple deaths; in February, two unarmed protestors, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed by security forces in Mandalay. The same day, a member of a neighborhood watch brigade was killed in Yangon. So far, the protests haven’t resulted in fatality rates as high as previous resistances, but they continue to expand as tension continues to build. As global attention draws to the transfer of power, the military has maintained the use of live ammunition to dissolve protests.
by Laasya Chiduruppa