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2021 Myanmar protests
Date2 February 2021 – present
Location
Myanmar
Caused by2021 Myanmar coup d'état
Goals
MethodsDemonstrations, Strikes, Civil disobedience
StatusOngoing

The 2021 Myanmar protests are domestic civil resistance efforts in Myanmar in opposition to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, which was initiated by Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces on 1 February 2011.[1] As of 7 February, 152 people were under detention in relation to the coup.[2]

Background

See also: 2021 Myanmar coup d'état

The 2021 Myanmar coup d'état began on the morning of 1 February 2021 when democratically elected members of Myanmar's ruling party, the National League for Democracy, were deposed by the Tatmadaw — Myanmar's military — which vested power in a stratocracy, the State Administrative Council. The Tatmadaw declared a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been vested in Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing. The coup d'état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the November 2020 general election, thereby preventing this from occurring.[3][4][5] President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers and their deputies and members of Parliament.[6][7]

Forms of civil resistance

On 2 February 2021, healthcare workers and civil servants across the country, including in the national capital, Naypyidaw launched a national civil disobedience campaign, in opposition to the coup.[8][9] A Facebook campaign group dubbed the "Civil Disobedience Movement" has attracted over 170,000 followers, since its initial launch on 2 February.[10][11] Healthcare workers from dozens of state-run hospitals and institutions initiated a labour strike starting 3 February.[11][12] As of 3 February, healthcare workers in over 110 hospitals and healthcare agencies[13] have participated in the movement.[10] Seven teacher organizations, including the 100,000-strong Myanmar Teachers’ Federation, have pledged to join the labor strike.[10] Staff in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, formerly led by Suu Kyi, have also joined the strike.[13] On 4 February, in Naypyidaw, civil servants employed at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation staged a protest.[14] Min Ko Naing, an 8888 Uprising leader, has urged the public to adopt a "no recognition, no participation" stance to the military regime.[15] The three-finger salute has been widely adopted as a protest symbol,[16] while netizens have adopted the Milk Tea Alliance, an online democratic solidarity movement in Asia.[17] On 5 February, staff from Myanmar National Airlines joined the civil disobedience campaign.[18] Civil servants have also adopted the red ribbon in opposition to the military regime.[19]

On 5 February, the strike campaign included three hundred out of 2000 copper miners at the Kyisintaung copper mines, while the other miners joined the red ribbon protest campaign. Miner Ko Sithu Tun stated that the strike would continue until the "elected leaders receive[d] their power back". The strike on 5 February included administrative, medical and educational sector staff and students at "91 government hospitals, 18 universities and colleges and 12 government departments in 79 townships". Nan Nwe, a member of the psychology department at Yangon University stated, "As we teach students to question and understand justice, we can't accept this injustice. Our stand is not political. We only stand up for the justice." Lynn Letyar, a surgeon at Lashio General Hospital, stated that most doctors and nurses had been on strike since 3 February.

On 3 February, a domestic boycott movement called the "Stop Buying Junta Business" campaign emerged, calling for the boycott of products and services linked to the Myanmar military.[20] Among the targeted goods and services in the Burmese military's significant business portfolio include Mytel, a national telecoms carrier, Myanmar, Mandalay, and Dagon Beer, several coffee and tea brands, 7th Sense Creation, which was co-founded by Min Aung Hlaing's daughter,[21] and bus lines.[20] 71 engineers working for Mytel in Sagaing Region resigned in protest.[10]

On 4 February, telecom operators and internet providers across Myanmar were ordered to block Facebook until 7 February, to ensure the "country's stability."[22] MPT, a state-owned carrier, also blocked Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp services, while Telenor Myanmar blocked only Facebook.[23][22] Facebook had been used to organize the civil disobedience campaign's labor strikes and the emerging boycott movement.[22] Following the Facebook ban, Burmese users had begun flocking to Twitter, popularising hashtags like #RespectOurVotes, #HearTheVoiceofMyanmar, and #SaveMyanmar.[24] On 5 February, the government extended the social media access ban to include Instagram and Twitter.[25][26]

Since the onset of the coup, residents in urban centers such as Yangon staged Cacerolazos, striking pots and pans in unison every evening as a symbolic act to drive away evil, as a method of expressing their opposition to the coup.[27][28][29] On 2 February, some Yangonites staged a brief 15-minute protest rally at 8 pm, calling for the overthrow of the dictatorship and Suu Kyi's release.[30] Six of the 13 members of the Mandalay City Development Committee, including vice-mayor Ye Mon, resigned on 3 February, in protest against the coup.[31] On 4 February, 30 citizens protested against the coup, in front of the University of Medicine in Mandalay, an act that led to four arrests.[32][33] "Kabar Makyay Bu" (ကမ္ဘာမကျေဘူး), a song that was first popularized as the anthem of the 8888 Uprising, has been revitalized by the civil disobedience movement as a protest song.[34]

On 6 February, twenty thousand protestors took part in a street protest in Yangon against the coup, calling for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released. Chants included, "Military dictator, fail, fail; Democracy, win, win". Drivers honked their horns in support. Police cordoned off the protestors at the Insein Road–Hledan junction, preventing them moving further. Workers from 14 trade unions participated in the protests. Livestreaming of the protests was attempted by mainstream media and citizen journalists, but was limited by internet restrictions, estimated to have dropped to 16 percent by 14:00. Police water cannon trucks were set up in Hledan and police barricades were prepared in Sule.

Protests spread to Mandalay and to the Pyinmana township of Naypyidaw on the afternoon of 6 February. The Mandalay marches started at 13:00. Protestors continued on motorbikes at 16:00 in reaction to police restrictions. Police were in control by 18:00.

Reactions

See also

References

  1. ^ "Anti-Coup Protest on Streets of Myanmar's Second City". US news. 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup". AAPP | Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  3. ^ Reuters (1 February 2021). "Myanmar military seizes power, detains elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi". news.trust.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ huaxia, ed. (1 February 2021). "Myanmar gov't declares 1-year state of emergency: President's Office". xinhuanet. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Myanmar Leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Others Detained by Military". voanews.com. VOA (Voice of America). 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  6. ^ Beech, Hannah (31 January 2021). "Myanmar's Leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Is Detained Amid Coup". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. ^ Mahtani, Shibani; Kyaw Ye Lynn (1 February 2021). "Myanmar military seizes power in coup after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay healthcare staff to join 'Civil Disobedience Campaign'". The Myanmar Times. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Myanmar Medics Prepare Civil Disobedience Against Military Rule". The Irrawaddy. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Teachers, students join anti-coup campaign as hospital staff stop work". Frontier Myanmar. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  11. ^ a b "After coup, medical workers spearhead civil disobedience campaign". Frontier Myanmar. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ^ Matthew Tostevin; Grant McCool; Stephen Coates (3 February 2021). "Myanmar doctors stop work to protest coup as UN considers response". Financial Review. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Myanmar's Medics Launch Civil Disobedience Campaign Against Coup". The Irrawaddy. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  14. ^ "စစ်အစိုးရကို နေပြည်တော်က နိုင်ငံ့ဝန်ထမ်းတွေ ကန့်ကွက်ဆန္ဒပြ". Radio Free Asia (in Burmese). Retrieved 4 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Veteran activist calls for civil disobedience in wake of coup". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  16. ^ AP; ABC News (Australia) (5 February 2021). "Myanmar blocks Facebook as resistance grows to military coup". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  17. ^ "#MilkTeaAlliance has a new target brewing: Myanmar's military". South China Morning Post. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Civilian Disobedience Campaign' takes flight in Myanmar". The Myanmar Times. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  19. ^ "NLD backs anti-coup campaign as civil servants rally in Nay Pyi Taw". Frontier Myanmar. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Myanmar calls for boycott of Tatmadaw linked products and services". The Myanmar Times. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Military Chief's Family Members Spend Big on Blockbuster Movies, Beauty Pageants". Myanmar NOW. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  22. ^ a b c Staff, Reuters (3 February 2021). "Myanmar internet providers block Facebook services after government order". Reuters. Retrieved 4 February 2021. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  23. ^ "Directive to block social media service". Telenor Group. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  24. ^ Potkin, Fanny (5 February 2021). "After Facebook ban, thousands in Myanmar take to Twitter to plead #RespectOurVotes". Reuters. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Myanmar's new military government is now blocking Twitter and Instagram". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Directive to block social media services Twitter and Instagram in Myanmar". Telenor Group. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Myanmar coup: army blocks Facebook access as civil disobedience grows". the Guardian. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  28. ^ Reuters Staff (2 February 2021). "Anti-coup protests ring out in Myanmar's main city". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021. {{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ "Myanmar coup latest: UN Security Council stops short of issuing statement". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  30. ^ "စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းမှုကို အနုနည်းအာဏာဖီဆန်မှု တချို့ရှိလာခြင်း". ဗွီအိုအေ (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  31. ^ "Mandalay vice mayor, MCDC members resign". The Myanmar Times. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Mandalay citizens protest against Tatmadaw rule". The Myanmar Times. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Four arrested in Mandalay after street protest against military coup". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Songwriter Who Provided 'Theme Song' to 8888 Uprising Finally Honored". The Irrawaddy. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2021_Myanmar_protests&oldid=1005283544

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