![]() ![]() The military unleashed violence to wrest back control. Some of the deadliest atrocities since the military took power occurred in the weeks after the coup, when mass protests and strikes shut down cities, with neighborhoods barricaded, public services suspended, and trade frozen. The helicopters that fired on children in Sagaing were reportedly Russian-made Mi-35s.įurthermore, the junta’s losses, while bolstering opposition morale, prompt further extremism from a regime that acts impulsively-and brutally-under pressure. The military has far superior firepower-using weapons from China and Russia-and complete air supremacy, whereas the resistance often relies on hunting rifles or homemade weapons and has no international support. It also may have sent another message: The executions are one of “several obvious incidents that evidence the military’s desperation,” said Ye Myo Hein, a researcher on civil-military relations and a fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank.Īlthough Myanmar’s democratic resistance forces have shocked many observers with their success so far, arguments that they are on the verge of victory or that the military is on the verge of collapse are overly optimistic. With most civilian political figures in military custody-including Aung San Suu Kyi, held in solitary confinement in the capital, Naypyidaw-the military sent a powerful warning to the population. Among those executed was Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, an elected member of parliament for the ousted National League for Democracy party, and Kyaw Min Yu (known as Ko Jimmy), 53, a renowned democracy activist. The military regime choosing to execute four political prisoners also served as a grim reminder that the Tatmadaw is prepared to kill virtually anyone to stay in power. But like most of the junta’s decisions since the coup, the killings were intended for a domestic audience, not a global one. The July executions took place against a backdrop of global outcry, including from authoritarian Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. At every turn, the regime has instead chosen the path least conducive to compromise. ![]() Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has had ample opportunity to make minor concessions to the international community, such as allowing a meeting with detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, that would have allowed him to reenter the fold without fundamentally threatening the military’s power. All were accused of organizing or participating in armed resistance to military rule they were hanged at Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and economic center. In another illustration of this dynamic, the military regime executed four political prisoners in July, the first known judicial executions in Myanmar since the 1970s. The increasingly brutal tactics are a sign of the military’s growing frustration as it fails to assert control more than 18 months after seizing power. These attacks followed a trend: The monitoring group Data for Myanmar said the military has torched more than 28,000 civilian homes since the coup, and August was the worst month on record. ![]() Last month, the military allegedly rampaged through a village in Kachin State, burning down homes and killing civilians. The killing of students was shocking, but extreme violence has come to characterize the junta. 16 when military helicopters fired on a school in Sagaing region, a resistance stronghold. At least 11 children were killed on Sept. The United Nations has delayed responding to the junta’s request for a seat Myanmar’s current representative at the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, remains loyal to the overthrown government.Īs diplomacy sputters, violence in Myanmar is spiraling. Officials from the United States and Malaysia met on the sidelines with representatives from Myanmar’s National Unity Government, a cabinet formed by elected lawmakers ousted when the military seized power in February 2021. Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, remains locked in an armed struggle with its own people, but the crisis barely reached the surface at last week’s United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. ![]()
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