On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s army put an abrupt end to Myanmar’s democracy with yet another coup. One year after the people marked the take over by staying at home. This was a show of disapproval of military rule. This article by the Monitor’s Editorial Board is published by Yahoo News. Here is an excerpt:
Most cities in Myanmar were very quiet on Feb. 1. Shops were closed and millions of people stayed home. The day was billed as a “silent strike” to mark the first anniversary of a coup that ended a nascent democracy in the Southeast Asian nation. Over the past year, street protests have not ended the military’s violent rule. Nor has a small, civilian-led armed rebellion. By silencing commercial activity – at least for a day – the strike instead served as a loud reminder for people in Myanmar to exercise their freedom from fear. It also enabled them to live the truth about the real source of power in shaping civic life.
“It has been a year. The military council has not gained the control of the country,” Thura Aung, a Mandalay-based organizer, told Radio Free Asia. “The power is still in the hands of the people. Law and order are still in the hands of the people.”
The strike also exposed the desperation of the military brass to stop a nonviolent action designed to show the emptiness of their lies about a legitimacy to rule. Dozens of shop owners were arrested before the strike. Many more were threatened with imprisonment and confiscation of their businesses.
Read the full article here.
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