Military rule in Myanmar: New year with old horrors

The new year begins in Myanmar. But there weren’t any of the usual celebratory gatherings and merry water fights. Because for more than a year, the military has been taking bloody action against its own population.

“It’s usually the happiest time for people in Myanmar,” says one young woman of the New Year celebrations. “This year nobody wanted to celebrate while the junta tried to cover up the chaos in the country by organizing stage shows in major cities. But the streets of Yangon and other major cities were dead silent,” says the woman, who is acting for her own safety want to remain anonymous.

The people demonstrated their protest against the military rule by keeping silent. The usual water fights were cancelled. According to Burmese tradition, they wash away the sins of the past year. “That’s why the people of Myanmar didn’t play with water, because they didn’t want to wash away the blood of the innocent people who gave their lives fighting for democracy in Myanmar.”

Hundreds of people sentenced to death

There are 1773 people who lost their lives. This is how the human rights organization AAPP counts it and points out that this is only the number that they were able to verify. The true number of victims is much higher. The junta has jailed more than 10,000, has arrest warrants for 2,000, and sentenced 100 to death.

“During the annual New Year’s amnesty, 1,600 prisoners were released, but only criminals who were incarcerated for drug offenses and the like. No political prisoners, nobody who was arrested for protesting the junta, no journalists,” says the young woman dejectedly. A close family member is in prison – a journalist, like her. She was able to flee to neighboring Thailand.

Aung San Suu Kyi is awaiting her next verdict

Aung San Suu Kyi was not released either: The former de facto head of government and democracy icon has been in prison since the coup began last February. She is allowed to go to court dates and awaits her next verdict, this time for corruption.

She could face a total of 150 years in prison in a number of trials. Human rights activists say that the allegations, from corruption to electoral fraud, are all unfounded and are only intended to keep the charismatic politician out of office.

People keep protesting

Although the junta continues to crack down on protesters, people across the country continue to protest. More than 8,000 soldiers have deserted the army, organizations helping soldiers desert say. Many young people from the cities who were no longer satisfied with the peaceful protests have completed combat training in the jungle, the young woman says.

“They are returning to the cities to fight underground. They are attacking arms depots, military-owned businesses, the army golf club and the air force. They are killing security forces around the compound of the junta chief and his ministers. And they have announced plans to kill even higher-ranking members of the junta.”

The economic situation is bad

At the same time, the country’s economic situation continues to deteriorate: Western sanctions, a plummeting currency, no raw materials, and soon no more fuel. A man from Yangon, the country’s largest city, describes the chaos at the gas stations: “Only a few gas stations are open, people are jostling. Some have been queuing for half the day to get a little fuel, but they are only allowed to do so buy little.”

He fears that the transport sector will collapse, that the black markets will flourish again. Businesses, the lower, middle and upper classes, are all suffering – and only one thing can help: “We expect an end to the dictatorship. As soon as the junta falls, things will work again.” But until that end is reached, the conflict in Myanmar can get much bloodier.