Myanmar, a country that does not respect human rights.
Myanmar is a Southeast Asian country, who shares borders with China, India, Laos, Bangladesh, and Thailand. It is one of the poorest countries in Asia with an unstable political system. This country used to be called Burma. In 1989, the military junta seized control over the country and changed Burma to Myanmar, why? Because they were stuck after independence and it reminded them of the colonial past. Also, the military government thought that Burma was a discriminatory name since it did not include the other ethnic minority groups, except for the Burmese people.
From 1962 to 2011 Myanmar was controlled by a military government. After many years of it, Myanmar was contemplated as a pariah state (a nation that is considered to be an outcast in the international community) while under the rule of an oppressive military junta. A pariah state may face international isolation, sanctions, or even invasion by nations who find its policies, actions, or very existence unacceptable.
In 2011, a new government began leading the way to a more civilian country. This guide to a tentative democratic transition, and as a result, a historic election in 2015. This election resulted in an overwhelming victory for pro-democracy. The National League for Democracy (NLD) would rule the country, but this did not last too long.
What happened? February 1st of 2021 and the military detained the Nobel Prize winner of 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other senior figures from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). They disrupted cellular services throughout the country, communications channels stopped working, and MRTV was unable to broadcast due to “technical issues”.The military declared a state of emergency for a year and said they took action because of alleged fraud in the November election that the National League for Democracy won. The armed forces were demanding a rerun of the votes, claiming fraud.
The military has taken over the economy, the country, and society in order to deny the population access to basic rights and opportunities.
Power is handed to Min Aung Hlaing, the Burmese army general who has served as Chairman of the State Administration Council of Myanmar since February 2nd of 2021, a position that makes him the country's leader.
People in Myanmar seem worried, but not panicked because for many this was not news, since the country’s decades-long struggle between democracy and military rule.
The military has imposed restrictions, including curfews and limits to gatherings, but this did not stop the protests from starting. The protests because of the coup have been the largest since the Saffron Revolution in 2007. Security forces have used water cannons, rubber bullets, and projectiles to try to disperse protesters. On the 27 of March, the deadliest day since the coup started, more than 100 people were killed.
Protestors are demanding the release of detained elected leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi. As they took the streets again, there were some reports of rubber bullets being fired by police. There have also been reports of security forces visiting the homes of professionals and trying to detain them for questioning over-involvement in a civil disobedience movement.
Human rights are being violated, there are restrictions on people's freedom of speech, and people are killed. More than 500 people have been killed since the start of the coup.
Since the coup on February 1st, the military junta has removed basic protections, including the right to be free from arbitrary detention and the right to be free of warrantless surveillance and search and seizure, amended the Penal Code to create new offenses and expand existing offenses to target those speaking critically of the coup and the military, and those encouraging others to support the “Civil Disobedience Movement,” and many more.
“By stripping the people of Myanmar of their basic rights, the military is once again demonstrating its disdain for international human rights protections,” said Linda Lakhdhir.
What can people do to help?
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Writer : Fernanda Opazo
Editor: Shivika Kumar
Sources:
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