Last night, in Myanmar, a military coup d’état was announced live on television. Videos of State Counsellor (Prime Minister) Aung San Suu Kyi being led from her home surfaced on international news, and a country with a history of oppressive regimes once again fell to the might of the gun.
Myanmar has been under democratic rule since 2011. Prior to this, it went through 50 years of oppressive military regimes. Moments of dissent, however, did occur. In 1988, during the 8888 protests, over one million citizens took to the streets in protest of those in power. In retaliation, the military opened fire on civilians. Up to 10,000 people are thought to have been killed.
Suu Kyi was the outspoken leader of these protests and as a result, in 1989, was placed under house arrest. She ended up spending 15 years in detention from 1989 to 2010, until, in 2011, a gradual liberation of the country began. The country moved to free and fair elections and, in 2015, Suu Kyi was elected State Counsellor by a landslide.
A lot has happened since then, including a genocide of the Rohingya people that was supported by Suu Kyi (read more here).
Now, after only 10 years, Myanmar’s democracy seems to be crumbling. The military have taken control, claiming that an election in November, where the NLD won over 80% of the vote, was fraudulent.
The military has a lot of power under Myanmar’s constitution. They are given a quarter of parliamentary seats automatically. They are also in control of three key ministries. It is unclear why the military has chosen now to seize control.
Nonetheless, the military have detained regional ministers. Suu Kyi was been arrested. The arrest of a regional lawmaker was even livestreamed on Facebook. Suu Kyi has called on citizens to stand up in protest of the undemocratic power grab. But people are scared, paralysed by memories of prior regimes.
It is uncertain what will happen next, but we hope for the best. However, in a country so young and with such a dark past, it is hard not to expect the worst.
— Jonathan Lewis (@lonnyjewis)
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