Myanmar has undergone a military coup by order of self declared leader, General Min Aung Hlaing. On February 1, 2021, the democratically elected government was two hours from convening for the first time when the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military, took control of the country by force. The leaders of the elected government, National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested and detained.
The people of Myanmar began a Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) shortly after the coup. CDM is peaceful, and respectful protests. Professionals throughout the country are participating including those from the healthcare, utilities, financial, transportation and entertainment/arts industry. They have brought the city to a standstill by declaring solidarity with the NLD. Their objective is to continue the CDM until the elected leaders of the NLD are released and the democratically elected representatives return to govern the country.
This has evoked an increasingly hostile response from the military. Reports of thousands of violent criminals being released from prisons and transported to areas around the country are rampant. They are said to be attempting to mix in peaceful protests and trying to create the illusion of violent citizen protests. There are also reports of peaceful protesters being beaten by the thugs. Police are also beating citizens as evidenced by camera footage made available on the internet.
The tactics of the military are clear: force the country back to work through fear and intimidation. Barring this, General Hlaing and the Tatmadaw cannot sustain the coup. There simply will not be an infrastructure in which to govern. Therefore, their coercion tactics have become rampant.
It is imperative that the Civil Disobedience Movement continue unabated. There will be deaths, there will be guns, clubs, thugs and fire. However, there are 54 million peaceful, hard working and gentle people in Myanmar. They have tasted democracy and cannot stomach anything else. They are a tidal wave that cannot be stopped. They will win their freedom.
"Freedom is never granted: It is won. Justice is never given: It is exacted."
These are the words of A. Philip Randolph, the great American Labor leader who organized the 1963 March on Washington.
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