Myanmar Update: Good news, bad news
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| Ming Min Naung, hero. See more about him at the end of this post. |
Bad news begins with today’s report of 91 [and counting, my edit] Burmese protesters murdered by the military. As a reminder, it is the military that is the insurgent here, the generals and their followers who are the terrorists. My friend Myo Win Aung has been posting regular updates (mostly on Twitter, but some on Facebook). See screen shots following:
I will link to actions at the end of this post, but I also want to address that these tragic circumstances have come about from unchecked power and dismissal of the rule of law by the Burmese military (Tatmadaw) who have received and are still receiving support from a variety of players across the region and yes, from U.S. corporations, as well.
There has been some movement on sanctions on the Tatmadaw in Myanmar, but the situation remains grim. There’s more to be said, but the following links will provide a brief update of where the situation stands internationally and internally. Many in the CDM are utilizing alternative modes of communicating via the internet. The dark web, proxy servers, and VPNs are probably helping a lot.
Some of my friends are still able to post on social media, and for that I’m thankful because it lets me know that they’re safe and also that they’re engaged and keeping their democracy alive.
It’s important to understand that the military is in this for business, power, and wealth. They have received and are receiving funding under two entities Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL). You can read (and watch) more here, here, and here.
The United Nations Human Rights Council page “Economic interests of the Myanmar military” from September 2019 has a wealth of information, reports, and infographics that describe the relations between arms suppliers, corporations, and others from the region (Singapore and India, for example) and further afield (Israel, Russia, China, and Japan). The page is not out of date, sadly. Additionally, the military has been receiving support from interests in Thailand, the Philippines and others in the region.
The full “Dirty List” is available here at the Burma UK website. There are quite a few names U.S. citizens will no doubt recognize and this should call into question not just the shoddy ethics of our corporations but how the consumer is made complicit in these failures and tied directly to violations and atrocities by the network of consumerism. I find myself highly conflicted because Facebook is a prime example and offender (and not just in this instance) but many of us continue to use it (as well as the Myanmar CDM). Apple is another multinational company that should know better and I am composting this post on my iPad.
Obviously, it’s almost impossible to boycott either company but this is why public pressure needs to be applied. However, that’s not to imply that governments are not stepping up to the plate. The U.S. is applying sanctions and Australia has cut ties with the Myanmar military. More needs to be done, however.
The people of Myanmar have posted numerous requests for U.N. Peacekeeping troops to be deployed and with the attack on the U.S. embassy, this may result in something more damaging than economic sanctions (or so we assume).
What we can do
Check out various organizations websites, Twitter feeds, and Facebook posts. Below I’m listing those that I follow and support and I hope you will, too. Stay informed, do what you can, give within your capacity and keep the people of Myanmar in your heart.
U.S. Campaign for Burma Twitter feed
International Campaign for the Rohingya (which at this point is inclusive of all Burmese and supporting the CDM)
All of these organizations across all platforms have plenty of actions you can take part in. Donate if you can and know that you’re taking part in a movement to save a nascent democracy.
Ming Min Naung
This is a Google translation of the Facebook post, but shows the substance of the people who are resisting the military’s oppression.
Ming Min Naung, the hero who lost his battle today
′′ We can't stay quiet ′′ is the word Mine Min Naung always says.
This is why he is thinking and doing a way against military dictatorship even though there is no protests.
The nightly motorcycles and class protests in Lashio since the military took place was always active in anti-military dictatorship until March 27
Mong Min Naung is always a leading speaker when there is strike in Lashio and when dealing with police from front.
He is a Tavern and a 22 year old young man who will attend the last year in Lashio University.
Always leading in night strike, bike strike and water sticks in Lashio.
He often walks around Lashio 3 more times a day and always follows a protest and is eager to protest, says close friends
Friends with him said he's been up since 6 am and went to protest this morning.
Arrival at around 7, military and police killed by terrorist shooting from the back of Mine Min Naung.
Mong Min Naung is a first hero for Ta Aung's anti-military dictatorship.
Note. You can also send me tribute letters written for the fallen heroes along with Mine Min Naung this morning
#နွေဦးတော်လှန်ရေး #သူရဲကောင်း #လားရှိုး #မိုင်းမင်းနောင်
https://www.facebook.com/451214215694715/posts/921754455307353/
UPDATE [27/3/2021; 13:03 US EST]
One more Myo Win Aung post: another hero.
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