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After Failing to Condemn Coup, China Faces Daily Opposition in Myanmar

February 15, 2021/in News

By NAN LWIN 15 February 2021 YANGON — China’s failure to condemn Myanmar’s military coup is sparking increased anger across Myanmar as mass protests against the regime sweep the country. The Chinese Embassy in Yangon has attracted thousands of anti-coup protesters every day in the last week. Anger toward Beijing grows as China continues to defend the military regime […]

As armored military vehicles roll onto Myanmar’s streets, protesters return for 10th day

February 15, 2021/in News

By Helen Regan and Chandler Thornton, CNN Updated 2216 GMT (0616 HKT) February 15, 2021 Myanmar military arrests opposition leaders at night amid daily protests 02:35 (CNN)Armored vehicles on the streets of major Myanmar cities, an internet blackout and nighttime raids on prominent critics on Sunday, did not stop protesters taking to the streets for a […]

After Failing to Condemn Coup, China Faces Daily Opposition in Myanmar

February 15, 2021/in News

As armored military vehicles roll onto Myanmar’s streets, protesters return for 10th day

February 15, 2021/in News

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

After Failing to Condemn Coup, China Faces Daily Opposition in Myanmar

February 15, 2021/in News

By NAN LWIN 15 February 2021

YANGON — China’s failure to condemn Myanmar’s military coup is sparking increased anger across Myanmar as mass protests against the regime sweep the country.

The Chinese Embassy in Yangon has attracted thousands of anti-coup protesters every day in the last week. Anger toward Beijing grows as China continues to defend the military regime calling the coup an “internal affair” at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The embassy protest was larger on Monday with placards reading, “Shame on you”, “Justice is blind, coup is a crime, China is behind it”, “China breaks our democracy”, “Myanmar’s military dictatorship is made in China” and “China bullies Myanmar”.

A placard read, “China should do the walk of shame”, in reference to Cersei Lannister in the Game of Thrones series who was forced to walk naked through the streets to pay for her crimes.

“We are mad at China. We are demanding that China stop supporting the military but its support continues,” Ma Su Theingi Htun, a 24-year-old student, told The Irrawaddy. “We must put pressure China to show the Burmese do not accept the military government. I will keep coming until they understand.”

A sit-in protest against China’s support for the military regime at the Chinese Embassy in Yangon on Monday. /Nan Lwin / The Irrawaddy

Young protesters stand close to barricades in the front of the embassy gates, showing placards to CCTV cameras reading: “Support Myanmar, don’t support dictatorship”, “China and Russia secretly help Myanmar’s military, the world must know” and “China takes our resources. Why do you want more?”

China was the closest ally of Myanmar’s military while the country was isolated under the previous military regime. China is a major supplier of military hardware and technology. The foreign ministry in Beijing rejected reports that it supported the coup.

It has also denied reports that it has helped the military regime build internet firewalls to block online freedom and access personal data. Five cargo flights arrived in Yangon from Kunming in Yunnan Province last week. China claimed they were only carrying goods like seafood.

While the regime cut the internet on Sunday night, three more flights from Kunming landed at Yangon International Airport.

“China said it sent seafood last week. What was it this time?” an 18-year old art and culture student, who asked not to be named, told The Irrawaddy. She held a placard reading, “Take back your seafood.”

“China is involved in this coup. Young people won’t stand for it. We will boycott all Chinese products and spread campaigns against imports,” she said.

China and Russia blocked attempts to condemn the military takeover at the UN Security Council and Beijing only described the coup as a “major cabinet reshuffle”, sparking young people to start online campaigns against Chinese products.

Sai Htet Soe San, a 19-year-old student, told The Irrawaddy: “Anti-China sentiment is growing among the young. As long as China fails to condemn the military, we will say it is supporting the military.”

Anti-coup protesters at the Chinese Embassy in Yangon on Monday. / Nan Lwin / The Irrawaddy

Young people are urging staff from Myanmar working on the China-Myanmar oil and gas twin pipeline project to join the civil disobedience campaign. A strike could suspend work on the project, they say.

Last week, work in the China-backed copper mines in Monywa Township was suspended after more than 2,000 miners from the Kyisintaung copper mine joined the civil disobedience movement. The Letpadaung Taung copper mine in Sagaing’s Salingyi Township also stopped operations after thousands of employees joined the movement.

A Kachin activist, Daw May Sabe Phyu, the director of the Gender Equality Network, told The Irrawaddy that she is protesting at the Chinese Embassy to condemn China’s defense of the military at the United Nations.

“I want to let China know our people strongly reject its policies. China must support the people, not the military,” she said.

Daw May Sabe Phyu said civil society organizations plan to send an open letter to UN Security Council and Asean, calling for protection for civilians.

“We call on democratic states to put pressure on countries like China which are defending the Burmese military,” she said.

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Topics: China, Chinese Embassy protest, civil disobedience movement, Coup, COVID-19, Democracy, Human Rights, military in politics, Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy, November 8 general election, Rule of Law, seafood, State Administrative Council, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Tatmadaw

Irrawaddy

As armored military vehicles roll onto Myanmar’s streets, protesters return for 10th day

February 15, 2021/in News

By Helen Regan and Chandler Thornton, CNN

Updated 2216 GMT (0616 HKT) February 15, 2021

Myanmar military arrests opposition leaders at night amid daily protests 02:35

(CNN)Armored vehicles on the streets of major Myanmar cities, an internet blackout and nighttime raids on prominent critics on Sunday, did not stop protesters taking to the streets for a tenth consecutive day on Monday to oppose the recent military coup.

In some instances, authorities appeared to respond with force. A protester from the city of Mandalay told CNN he saw uniformed security forces firing rubber bullets and using slingshots in the direction of a crowd of peaceful protesters, causing them to flee.

He also said some of the people firing at protesters were not in uniform. CNN is attempting to reach out to military in Myanmar for response.

“More than anything I was angry that they are shooting at people who are not armed. I am more angry than scared,” said the protester, whom CNN agreed not to name due to his fear of reprisal.

The military had escalated its crackdown on dissent over the weekend, with security forces in the country’s northern Kachin state also firing on protesters at a power plant Sunday. A crowd had gathered there believing the military would cut off the electricity, according to social media video and local reports.

In the confrontation, broadcast live on Facebook, soldiers and police in the state capital Myitkyina fired shots to disperse protesters, though it is unclear whether live rounds were used. Video shows security forces using water cannon and then protesters fleeing as several rounds of fire can be heard. Five journalists were reportedly arrested while covering the incident.

A witness at the scene said that the situation was “stable” until around 11 p.m. local time when the security forces used water cannon against protesters, who had built a barricade of tires and oil drums. Protesters started throwing stones, to which the security forces responded by firing rubber bullets, he said.

“It was very loud and people got really scared. It was quite horrifying to see because people were running with fear and screaming at the same time,” said the eyewitness, who didn’t want to be named for fear of retaliation.

The weekend’s events marked an escalation in the military’s continued crackdown on demonstrators and opposition leaders, since it seized power in a coup on February 1, ousting democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining key government officials and forming a new ruling junta.

A child runs alongside a military armored vehicle moving along a street on February 14, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Suu Kyi’s detention, due to expire Monday, will be extended until a court hearing Wednesday, her lawyer said. Khin Maung Zaw said he has still not been able to see Suu Kyi but has discussed the issue of representing her with the judge.

Western diplomats on Sunday warned Myanmar’s junta that “the world is watching” and advised the military not to use violence against protesters.

“We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government,” read a joint statement signed by the US, Canada, and the European Union that was published on the official Facebook pages of their embassies.

Since the takeover, hundreds of thousands of people have joined protests and civil disobedience campaigns. People could be seen on the streets in Yangon, Dawei and Myitkyina holding “Civil Disobedience Movement” signs and “Free our leader” banners, showing pictures of detained leader Suu Kyi. People also marched holding signs saying: “Stop arresting people illegally at midnight.”

The protests have swelled to include people from all sections of society, including a strike by government workers as part of a mass civil disobedience movement.

While there have not yet been many reports of injuries, police have been recorded using water cannon against protesters on previous days and have also faced allegations that they have deployed live rounds.

A young woman named Mya Thweh Thweh Khine remains in critical condition at a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw with a gunshot wound in the head, a source with direct information about the victim told CNN Friday. Video of the incident circulated online showing a young woman suddenly falling to the ground while taking cover from a water cannon at a protest. Her image has been held up at protests as a symbol for those resisting the coup.

In response to the protests, the military has sought to limit access to the internet and news services, as well as floating a potential new cyber security law that observers fear could further limit the flow of information.

Internet and mobile services were disrupted overnight Sunday into Monday, and Monitoring NGO NetBlocks said network connectivity across the country had dropped to only 14% nationwide since 1 a.m. local time. Mobile services from all carriers were also disrupted, according to residents. By 9.30 a.m. local time Monday, some areas reported internet has since been restored.

Protesters hold placards and shout slogans near the City Hall on February 13, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Fear when the sun goes down

Residents have reported a palpable fear for their safety after dark, with many scared they will be dragged out of their houses by police in nighttime raids, or are terrified of reports of arson and crime following the release of thousands of prisoners in an amnesty on Friday.

Reuters reported that residents in some neighborhoods have banded together to form patrols and provide some security for their streets at night.

“All the streets near me are also making groups to defend themselves from these troublemakers,” Myo Thein, a resident of the South Okkalapa township, told Reuters.

Hundreds of people have been arrested since the coup, and most held without charge, according to the United Nations human rights office. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma (AAPPB) said at least 400 people have been detained in relation to the coup and other reports suggested some activists and journalists had gone into hiding following news of their potential arrest.

One journalist in Yangon, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of arrest, said rights defenders and reporters are struggling to let the people know what is actually going on.

“Journalists are in remote working and in hiding as they are scared of night arrests and their homes going to be raided. They can be arrested anytime for what they are reporting although (it’s the) truth,” the reporter said.

On Saturday, the military announced the arrest warrants for seven high-profile activists for using “their popularity on social media … to undermine the peace and order of the country,” according to the military’s information page on Facebook.

Among those named is leading democracy activist Min Ko Naing, an organizer for the “Civil Disobedience Movement” Facebook page, which has more than 200,000 followers. Min Ko Naing spent more than 20 years in prison following the 1988 student uprising in Yangon that was brutally suppressed by the military.

In a Facebook post Sunday, Min Ko Naing called on people to continue their civil disobedience campaigns, saying the military was inciting anger to stir unrest.

“Last night, we had to face the horrifying events across the country. They are doing it with all they are capable of. They provoke our anger, and use people including police,” he said. “This week is the most important week, this week will decide for us.”

Over the weekend, the military suspended three laws that were aimed at constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without a court approval.

Residents and protesters face riot police as they question them about recent arrests made in Mandalay, Myanmar, February 13, 2021.

Reuters reported that among the three suspended sections is the law that mandates a court order to detain any prisoner beyond 24 hours and limits security forces’ ability to enter private property to search it or make arrests.

The suspensions also free up spying on communications, according to the Reuters report.

In addition, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday announced several penal code amendments that appear to target protesters, journalists and critics of the coup.

The changes impose a maximum 20-year prison term for anyone who attempts to or incites hatred of the government or military “by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise.” Anyone who is found to “sabotage or hinder the performance” of military personnel or law enforcement agencies can also face up to 20 years in jail. Those who hinder or disrupt the military and government employees can be imprisoned for up to seven years under the updated laws.

The AAPPB said the suspensions were ways to instill “fear of police raids into the general public during the night” as it means that the Myanmar authorities can search houses “without the presence of the ward administrative officers and unlawful acts during inspection can be committed.”

The human rights organization said these amendments display how the military “violates inalienable human rights and intensifies the suppressive apparatus towards the general public.”

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews warned in a tweet that the military would be held accountable for its actions.

“It’s as if the generals have declared war on the people of Myanmar: late night raids; mounting arrests; more rights stripped away; another Internet shutdown; military convoys entering communities. These are signs of desperation. Attention generals: You WILL be held accountable,” Andrews said.

Reporting and writing contributed by CNN’s Bex Wright and Sandi Sidhu in Hong Kong, Sharif Paget and Philip Wang in Atlanta, Elizabeth Joseph in New York, and CNN contributors in Myanmar.

CNN

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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Fear when the sun goes down

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