Like 33 years ago… Myanmar, today non-violent ‘22222 uprising’

4 deaths triggered by bloodshed
‘8888 Uprising’ in 1988

[아시아경제 조현의 기자] On the 22nd, protesters opposing the Myanmar military’s coup will fight the ‘22222 Uprising’. This protest, named after the ‘8888 Uprising’ on August 8, 1988, is intended to continue non-violent resistance against the violent suppression of the military as it was 33 years ago. With this protest, which takes place immediately after the bloodshed, attention is paid to whether the situation in the Myanmar coup will be in a new era.

According to the Associated Press and local media, the “Citizen Disobedience Movement (CDM),” composed of anti-military protesters and others, called the day “Spring Revolution” and called for participation as the number of citizens killed by the hard-line repression by the military and police reached at least four. did.

Large-scale protests are scheduled to take place on this day in the center of major cities. Most stores and businesses also go into general strike on this day. Myanmar’s largest retailer’City Mart’ and Thai-based warehouse-type hypermarket’Macro’ also ceased operations on the day, Bloomberg News reported. An official of the National League for Democratic Peoples Alliance (NLD) led by state advisor Aung San Suu Kyi predicted that “the nation is expected to have the largest number of people ever demonstrating on this day.”

As the military has announced armed repression against this, there are concerns about a massive bloodshed conflict. The military said, “The protesters set the 22nd as a day of riots and anarchy,” and urged the military to absent, saying, “Especially emotional teens and young people are inciting a path that could kill their lives.”

In areas where gathering of five or more people is prohibited, such as Yangon, Nepido, and Mandalay, it is predicted that police and soldiers can fire water cannons, tear gas, rubber guns, and even live ammunition. The US embassy in Myanmar warned on Twitter the previous day, “Internet communication may be cut off from 1 am to 12 pm on the 22nd and there is a possibility of a power outage.”

The 22222 Uprising was triggered when at least four civilians died due to the violent repression of the military and police. Following the death of a 20-year-old woman who was in critical condition after being shot by the police on the head of a gun on the 19th, at least three people, including a teenage boy, died on the 20th due to the fire of the military police. According to local media, at least 100 people were injured after 24 times of suppression.

The citizens of Myanmar confronted the military dictatorship that began in 1926 through the 8888 Uprising in 1988. At that time, thousands of citizens were sacrificed and failed, but Suu Kyi’s adviser stood at the forefront of the military. The military has since repeated house arrest for Suu Kyi torture, but the dictatorship ended with the NLD’s victory in the 2015 general election.

The international community is supporting the Myanmar protesters. UN Secretary-General Antony Guterchs said, “It is acceptable to inflict killing forces, threats, and attacks on peaceful protesters. Everyone has the right to hold a peaceful demonstration.” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We are on the side of the citizens of Burma.” Facebook deleted the page of the Myanmar military promotional media. The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs has applied an asset freeze and a travel ban to the Minister of Defense of Myanmar and three ministers and vice ministers of the Ministry of Interior.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar accused the international community of expressing concern over the coup and a joint statement by a foreign embassy in Myanmar as “obvious internal intervention”. This is the first time that the Myanmar military officially responded to criticism from the international community after taking power through a coup on the 1st of this month.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar said in a’press report’ in the name of the minister the day before, “Recently, embassies in Yangon, some countries, and the United Nations have released statements and expressed concern about the recent situation in Myanmar.” Completion of the mission in accordance with the emergency regulations will lead to a free and fair general election, and responsibility will be transferred to the elected party.”

Reporter Jo Hyun’s [email protected]