Military Turmoil in Myanmar: A Resurfaced Crisis

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On February 1st, military tanks began rolling into the capital city of Myanmar, Naypyitaw, and two other large cities, Yangon and Mandalay, effectively blocking roads. In an early morning raid the same day, the military (known as Tatmadaw), detained the democrat civilian leader Suu Kyi and other senior officials of the government. The military had successfully carried out a coup d'etat and officially seized control of Myanmar.

This isn’t the first time the military has overthrown the government and looking into the history of the turbulent relationship between the government and the military gives more insight into the reason behind the recent coup. In 1962, after being freed from British colonial rule, General Ne Win overthrew the civilian government to install an authoritarian, centralized regime. A new junta took over in 1988, but held democratic elections. Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy (NLD) won overwhelmingly; however, exactly like the military did this year, back then they refused to accept the election results and ended up detaining Suu Kyi for two decades. In 2007, there was a massive wave of protests, forcing the military to transition to a multi-party democracy and civilian rule. However, they made sure to take measures to ensure their foothold of power by “reserving key ministries and 25% of parliamentary seats for unelected military appointees and wording the new constitution so as to disqualify Suu Kyi from the presidency.” Despite this, Suu Kyi went on to win the 2015 and 2020 general elections. Refusing to submit to civilian rule, the military decided to pursue its own agenda of fighting military and ethnic minorities and the Rhoyigan genocide. Delving into this history reveals that this coup wasn’t due to sudden animosity between two groups, but long built-in conflicts from the past.

The tensions from these conflicts finally cracked under pressure when the military commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing declared that the 2020 general election, in which the NLD won a clear victory, had been a fraud and that the military did not recognize the results; according to him, this was the reason the military took action. The military then declared a state of emergency that is planned to last a year. Since then, the military has raided NLD offices in many regions of the country, taking away documents, computers, and laptops and has blocked social media platforms for citizens. The military has imposed 6 charges on the NLD leader Suu Kyi, who has been detained in her own home, and accused her and other leaders of the government of corruption. It also proceeded to suspend “laws constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval and [order] the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests.” Furthermore, they have declared martial law in the city of Yangon. The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), which includes 10 members, met in Jakarta to discuss the coup with General Min Aung Hlaing, who had led the coup. They demanded that the killings be stopped immediately and that the political detainees be released. A five point consensus was reached on “ending violence, a constructive dialogue among all parties, a special ASEAN envoy to facilitate the dialogue, acceptance of aid, and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar.” According to the ASEAN, the general did not commit to anything, but he did not reject their points either, and declared he would take it into consideration.

As a result of the coup, Myanmar has been filled with turmoil, protests, and violence. Citizens were quick to respond to the coup, participating in massive peaceful  protests, pouring out into the streets, marching and holding signs, chanting, and sharing their conditions on social media before it was blocked. However, the military and police have responded with a shocking amount of violence, including beating, and shooting protesters. Since the coup, there have been more than 500 civilians murdered, 1,700 civilians arrested, and 25,000 displaced. Despite the brutal violence that protestors are facing, they have not given up as they continue with their anti-military demonstrations and protests across the nation. These actions show the strength and resilience of the nations’ citizens. Countries around the world, especially democratic countries, should be willing to intervene and send aid to preserve Myanmar’s hard-fought democracy.

The international response, on the other hand, has not been as strong nor as swift as the citizens’ reaction to the coup. Many countries such as the U.S., EU, Singapore, Australia, and Canada, along with the UN, have condemned the military’s action and called upon the military to restore democracy and end violence towards its protestors. The U.S., U.K., and Canada have imposed sanctions against the army’s generals, and the EU has also imposed military sanctions. These and many other democratic countries have further imposed sanctions on the generals' businesses, their children, and their children’s businesses. The U.S. is also preventing the military from accessing $1 billion government funds that are held in the U.S. Furthermore, the Biden administration has also designated Burma for the Temporary Protected Status for Burmese nationals and residents in the United States right now, stating that the conditions for these residents to return to their homeland is not safe due to the conditions brought upon by the coup. These policies have a good possibility of being effective in financially impacting the country. However, they might not be strong enough to convince the military to restore democracy. Moreover, condemning the military's actions will not have as strong of an impact if the military chooses not be affected by the world’s opinion of them. 

On the other hand, neighboring countries in the region around Myanmar have had a more measured and less severe response, due to economic relations between them. China and India have released statements expressing concern and urging political and social stability, but have not been vocal in strongly condemning the military’s actions or placing sanctions. This is because both China and India have economic interests and friendly relations with Myanmar. China and the military have a tight relationship; this is due to the fact that China provides aid to the military and they both collaborate on border security issues. Additionally, India prefers not to isolate Myanmar. Due to its current tensions with China, India believes that potential diplomatic isolation would be beneficial for Beijing. Furthermore, China and Russia were the only two countries on the UN Human Rights Security Council to block the resolution to condemn the coup. Due to Russia and China’s veto power, there is not much the UN Security Council can do. This weak response not only prevents the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, but will likely convince the military that their actions won’t have serious consequences and motivates them to continue forward with their plans. 

To have a major impact on Myanmar, neighboring countries need to engage in massive cutting offs with Myanmar, which they have not done. These countries need to reevaluate their priorities, as the human rights and freedoms of the citizens of Myanmar is at stake. Other countries also need to take larger actions that will make it incredibly hard for the military to rule over Myanmar, forcing them to restore democracy. Western countries, especially the United States, have prided themselves in promoting democracy and freedom. In the current situation, they should be willing to step up and provide aid to Myanmar to continue this legacy.