It바카라s a crisp winter morning in Yangon. I am sitting on my balcony, sipping my locally brewed Tamarind Kombucha that my friend Ma Thiri dropped off this morning. She came with her dad in his vintage brown van. Thiri바카라s small food joint survived COVID-19 restrictions, but she is not sure if her small business would survive this coup. As I saw her off, they waved the hunger-game inspired 바카라three fingers바카라 salute. Thiri said, 바카라My uncle was an NLD student leader. My dad and his family burnt all records and papers at home and uncle went underground.바카라 Since the coup, leaders of political parties, activists, and civil society have been arrested. The chairman and members of the Union Election Commission of each region and state were abducted. Journalists are scared and vulnerable. They have gone underground. Since day one of the coup we heard about a list of 바카라wanted바카라 journalists prepared by military intelligence.
In my courtyard, colleagues turned on Kabar Ma Kyay Bu, the national anthem, in full volume. They are going out to protest today, Union Day (February 12), when we celebrate the unified republic of Myanmar. In 1947, the Panglong Agreement was signed by Aung San, father of detained state chancellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and minority ethnic leaders who agreed to join the Union of Burma in exchange for federal autonomy. Protestors from ethnic minorities too have joined the civil disobedience.
The military leadership바카라s proposed Cyber Security Bill will give it the right to shut the internet, ban websites and surveillance바카라a tool to curb dissent. There바카라s fear of another long internet shutdown. 바카라They can바카라t cut us off from the world for too long. They use the same fibre optics and internet cables as we civilians do. They are heavily dependent on e-commerce and e-banking,바카라 says my friend. She is struggling to download new apps on the dark web to prepare for an internet shutdown.
In Yangon, 바카라banging the pot바카라 to ward off evil happens at 8am, 2pm and 8pm바카라a non-violent method of civil disobedience. On February 1 the Tatmadaw toppled the NLD government, alleging the November 2020 elections to be fraudulent. It seems like we are not just fighting the dictator; we are also fighting the world. The Nobel peace laureate lost credibility with the West over the Rohingya crisis, but that doesn바카라t justify a coup.
A coup is crazier than any virus. Vaccines can stop viruses, but there바카라s no cure for a dictator바카라s greed. When was the last time a dictator said that he would reinstall democracy in a year and actually did? The commander-in-chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing is a businessman who built an empire and was about to retire in July 2021. In the initial days of the coup, Myanmar바카라s youth shared the names of businesses associated with the military. The 바카라Dirty List바카라 has now made it to every household. Within a week, the nation바카라s favourite drink, Myanmar Beer, disappears. Videos show people throwing it in gutters바카라an act of boycott. A UN report shows the military has been using its businesses to support 바카라its brutal actions against ethnic groups바카라. Gen Min is a war criminal. The non-stop honks of cars and buses are growing. I can hear more people chanting and singing and honking바카라a jubilant atmosphere similar to the Thingyan (water festival).
Chris, a Scottish friend, texts, 바카라We are caught between the military and Covid바카라. Many expats in Yangon have gained the status of 바카라local- foreigners바카라. They are in an awkward situation. There aren바카라t any flights and their embassies have told them to avoid protests. Some White expats handed flowers to the police at Sule Square. Civil disobedience started by medical staff and nurses is now joined by teachers, trade unionists, journalists and civil servants. The biggest chunk comprises the youth. They mock the military with ingenious artwork and slogans on their placards: 바카라You f**ked with the wrong generation바카라; 바카라I want democracy, not lipstick바카라, 바카라My boyfriend was bad, but this dictator is worse바카라바카라.
Many friends are sharing pictures of 1988 and comparing it with 2021. I called my photographer friend and colleague Ko Thin, who was arrested in 1988 as a young student leader. He spent 20 years of his youth in prison. He has seen the worst, so he was optimistic: 바카라2021 is a new beginning. The protestors know what they are doing and why they are doing it. We were not prepared and just jumped into the unknown.바카라
(Names and identities are changed)
