Myanmar coup: What is happening and why?

 Myanmar Coup: What is wrong with the military?

Students, monks, women, civil servants, and even some police officers join the movement against the regime. Some police taking part in the civil disobedience movement have been openly speaking out, saying they will no longer serve the military rulers and would instead serve the people.

Source- BBC

 

Myanmar has struggled under military rule for decades.  Myanmar, formally known as Burma, has been under a successive military regime from 1962 to 2011. The military government is neither democratic nor has respect for individual voices. Therefore, it remained the period of brutality and fear.

The only face – which brought hope for the people that there may be democracy was Aung San Suu Kyi. She won Nobel Peace Prize for her constant peaceful protest against the military.

In 2011, a democratically elected government in Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi was released from prison.

For her efforts, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, yet her struggle continued until in 2015, she led the NLD in the first election in 25 years.

She won, but Myanmar Constitution forbade her from becoming a president because of her marriage to a foreigner. Therefore, she held the title of state counselor.

In February 2020, when Ms. Suu Kyi won the election from National League for Democracy Party, the military couped and took charge of Myanmar again.

 Also Read About- Hong Kong--Protest 

The Reason: For Coup

The military has states that the election was widespread fraud. Ms. Suu Kyi was under house arrest and even has been charged with the possession of walkie talked. And many other prominent leaders from her NLD have also been detained.

Min Aung Hallain is the leader of the coup, and he has received international condemnation for the coup of 2021 and military attack on ethnic minorities.

Despite all allegations of murder, rape, and brutality against his troops, he kept on rising to the stronger position.

Did democracy work smoothly under her?

Aung San Suu Kyi was criticized for the Rohingya crisis.  

Ignored Cause- Rohingya Crisis

Rohingya Muslims, as per historical sources, came to the Rohingya Region in the fifteenth century and some in the nineteenth and twentieth century. However, earlier, the region was under British control.  After independence in 1948, the successive governments have refuted the claims of ethnicity.

Politically, the government refused to grant them citizenship, and without any legal documentation- they are stateless.

Rohingyas have only temporary resident cards.

In 2014, the UN-backed the national census and initially permitted to identify as Rohingya, but Buddhist nationalists threatened to boycott the census. Therefore the newly formed Myanmar government decided to let Rohingya register as Bengali.

Similar Pressure from Buddhist National came again in 2015, where they protest against Rohingya's right to vote.

The government even forced Rohingyas to carry –' National Verification Card's that recognizes them a foreigner, not the citizen.

Rohingya must seek permission to get married, which again brings the loop of bribe and exploitation, and to move and travel, they need government approval. They are even allowed to have only two children.

The clash of August 2017

A militant group of Arakhan Rohingya Salvation Army known as ARSA claimed responsibility for the Army and Police attack.

The government declared ARSA as a terrorist organization. The military launched a brutal campaign against them, destroying hundreds of Rohingya villages and forced them to flee from the Rohingya Region.

Myanmar Security forces were also alleged to open fire on fleeing citizens near the border crossing.

United Nations and the entire world criticized the government, which attracted controversy against the Aung San Suu kyi.

In 2018, after criticism, the government said that all military operations were against ARSA attach and Rohingya villages and farmlands have been cleared to build a home, security bases, and infrastructure.  

It was assured by the government that the preparation is for the repatriation of refugees.

In 2019, the UN fact-finding report also published that the situation in Myanmar for Rohingya has not improved.

Therefore, due to the new democracy in Myanmar- the government has been failed to bring peace.

 

 Myanmar in March 2021

The coup started in February 2021, and when people protested, the military killed many protestors.

The streets became dangerous, and the public faced- internet blackouts, night raids, and killing as a response.

 Due to this havoc – now the police and other government employees have also joined the protests against military rule.

 The economy and tourism will be impacted badly which will further worsen the condition of on going civil war.