In an interview with the Hankook Ilbo on the 11th, Mr. So Moto said, “Last year’s parliamentarians who won the general elections organized the Federal Congressional Representative Committee and formed the civil government against the military.” “The international community, including Korea, has made this government a formal diplomatic partner. Please admit it.” Incheon = Reporter Hong In-ki
It has been 40 days since the Myanmar military, who lost in the general election last year, caused a coup by denying the election results. The military, which seized power by proclaiming a one-year emergency, is trying to hold a general election again to regain the regime that had been stolen by the democratic forces, but the resistance of the citizens against it is difficult. At least millions of people participated in the two general strikes across the country in a month or so, including this week. This large-scale demonstration, reminiscent of the Korean candlelight protests in Gwangju in 1980 and 4 years ago, is called “citizen disobedience” by Myanmar.
However, in order to prevent this, as the military police used live ammunition in suppression operations, close to 100 people were known to have died in the protests so far. The military said it was intended for dissolution, but if you look at the photos or videos of the protests transmitted through social media, it is almost like aiming fire. At the demonstration site in Michina in the northern part of the 9th, a nun who blocked the police with her body telling them not to shoot was a hot topic, but the police moved to kill the protesters. There was also a testimony from Myanmar police that “I was instructed to shoot until I die.”
Will Myanmar, the largest resource-rich country on the Indochina Peninsula, return to its gloomy military rule? After coming to Korea as a migrant worker 20 years ago, Motu So, who has been working for the democratization of Myanmar, met on the 11th at the Myanmar Workers’ Welfare Center in Bupyeong, Incheon, where he is the chairman of the steering committee, to hear the news of the protests and the situation in Myanmar going forward.
-How are you facing the local situation in Myanmar?
“People who returned to Korea from Burma Action Korea, which had promoted a democratization movement in Myanmar centered on migrant workers, are also taking the lead in this demonstration, and I will contact them. Having lived in an information-controlled society for a long time, Myanmar people are actively searching and sharing information through SNS. The generations of fathers and grandfathers also have Facebook accounts. I am also seeing the news and information posted here in real time.”
-It is said that the sacrifices of citizens in democratization protests are increasing. What’s happening in the area?
“In addition to being known through foreign media such as the news of the deaths during the protests, for example, there are cases where fathers go boating in the middle of the week, and military police invade a house with only children and mothers, and even pillage them. A few days ago, in Michina, Kachin Province in the north, a sniper aimed and fired from the roof of a building under construction, killing two teachers and five others. It is said that there are many soldiers in police uniforms among the groups that respond by force.”
-What is the passion of the citizens who are resisting that not only citizens, but also public officials, teachers, and even some policemen have joined the protesters, and how are they fighting?
“There is an estimate that 30 million people across the country participated in the general strike wave during the ‘2222 Uprising’ last month. It means that almost all Myanmarians participated in the protests, except for those who couldn’t walk. The enthusiasm for participation in the struggle for democracy in 1988 was also great. Some policemen, even soldiers, were on the side of the citizen. However, at that time, if the soldiers blocked the protesters, they were told to break through, and in the process, the sacrifice was great.
The current protests aim to inform the international community that the citizens of Myanmar desperately want democracy. The soldiers in the way of the protesters don’t want anything. The democracy and peace we want are not what they have, so there is no need to collide. So, if you block it, you avoid it, you scatter, and then the protests continue by gathering again.”
-In Myanmar, two large-scale democratization protests against the military regime occurred in 1988 and 2007, but were destroyed by the military repression.
“Myanmar, once well-off, became the poorest country in Southeast Asia after the military coup in 1962. This is because they implemented a containment policy under the socialist dictatorship. Citizens, overwhelmed by the impoverished economy and the repressive social atmosphere dominated by soldiers, ran out into the streets, complaining about the fraudulent currency reform in 1988. But at that time, it wasn’t the time when I was communicating through social media like now, so the military and police randomly shot and killed the protesters. It was like going up on a bridge at a crossroads in the city and shooting a gun as you can see it. A huge number of victims came out, but the dead and injured were not immediately known.
The 2007 uprising began with an incident in which monks were tied to poles, beaten, and neglected in the sun in an area, and monks launched peaceful protests to protest the incident. “Let’s live in peace” and “Let’s love” the monks said, “Let’s live in peace,” and “Let’s love”. As citizens, who were struggling with oil prices at the time, participated in the protests, they expanded to anti-government protests in large cities such as Yangon and Mandalay.”
Myanmar police are trying to beat a citizen with a club on the outskirts of Yangon, the largest city on the 6th. Yangon = AP Yonhap News
-Are there any signs of division of the military or participation of the protesters?
“The military has no agitation. It is a tremendous organization with the interests that have been strengthened by occupying the government for 60 years. You have the fortune to live for 100 or 200 years, but will you stand on the side of the common people? There must be conscientious soldiers, but it is difficult to expect them to show their actions. Under the civil government for the past five years, it was possible for soldiers to join the government, but there were no. Unfortunately, Korea has not been able to lay the foundation for weakening the military, which seems to have defeated Hanahoe in the Kim Young-sam administration.”
-Can citizen’s resistance succeed?
“The Myanmarians no longer wait for heroes. I hope the international community will help, but I have a strong mind to break down the dictatorship with the power of the people. The experience of democracy and freedom over the past five years has been invaluable, and I am afraid to return to military dictatorship. That is why young people actively participate in protests. The so-called Gen Z (born after the mid-1990s) leads the protests in their own various ways, and there are many forms of joint protests supported by older X and Y generations.
-The military has been denying last year’s general election as a reason for the coup.
“The military has seen signs of a coup right after the 2015 general election. For the past five years, the civil government has been constantly in check with 25% of the seats allocated according to the constitution. When the Minister of Interior, who was a military man, got close to the state adviser of Aung San Suu Kyi, he was expelled from the minister, so there is no way for civilian rule to function properly. In the meantime, efforts to move toward democracy by reducing the military’s influence were underway. It is also part of the process that the shame adviser was forced to side with the military in the Rohingya issue. Election denial was only an excuse for the military to believe that there would be more seats in last year’s general election.”
-Is it saying that the election denial is unfounded?
“It’s not that there is no discrepancy between the voter roll and the actual voter. However, this is a matter to be evaluated in light of the fact that the Myanmar census is not accurate. In the 2015 general election, the chairman of the electoral commissioner, who was from the military, even said that the list of voters was only 20-30% accurate. Last year’s elections were held in a far better situation. Soldiers, for example, have been voting in units so far, but have been changed to be at their local general polling place for more transparent elections. The military’s voter list error is also filled with arguments, and there are few physical evidences. On the contrary, there are numerous cases of cheating in polling places that the military is in charge of.”
-The dominant prediction is that the military, which declared a one-year emergency, will not withdraw.
“The military is already changing the word that this situation could last a year or two after a month in a coup. Since military rule is a revolt, it doesn’t put much of a meaning on the period. We will continue the civil disproportionate movement.”
-The international community’s interest in the Myanmar situation is high, but it is not easy to actively intervene. What kind of efforts from the international community can help?
“The day the military initiated a coup was the opening day of the National Assembly consisting of general elections last year. After that, 380 members of the ruling ruling Democratic Peoples League (NLD) formed the Federal Parliamentary Representatives Committee (CRPH), and began political activities against the military, centered on 15 representatives. Legislative activities such as abolishing the law to catch citizen disobedience movements and paying compensation to public officials participating in the protests. Nine ministers were also appointed, including the foreign minister. Letters are being sent to governments requesting that CRPH be recognized as the legitimate government of Myanmar. It also sends a message asking people to deport and sanction officials from the military regime. I hope the international community will actively respond to this.”
-The provisional government may be limited to a declarative meaning.
“Citizens who participate in the disobedience movement are the first strong drivers, but I know that discussions for cooperation are underway with a minority-ethnic armed group that has announced its intention to stand on the side of the people. In case of an emergency, it is to use about 100,000 people as the CRPH’s troops. There is also a possibility of civil war. However, this time, when the military dictatorship is eradicated, minorities are also welcoming the move to abolish the unjust constitution that guarantees the power of the military and create a new constitution based on the federal system. The international community shouldn’t be left alone in order not to set another precedent for the success of an armed coup.”
-The UN Security Council is unable to adopt a proper statement of condemnation due to the refusal of China and Russia.
“China has long supported Myanmar’s military. It was aimed at Myanmar’s rich resources, such as natural gas, teak, and gemstones. But if it interferes with Myanmar’s democracy, China could also face resistance from Myanmar citizens. There are warnings such as the detonation of a gas field in China, which is already operating in Myanmar.”
-Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations was scolded while appealing for the injustice of the military coup. Are there any more movements like this? What is the attitude of the Myanmar embassy in Korea?
“The US and UK ambassadors are showing similar movements. The current ambassador to Korea is a greeting that Shame adviser cherishes like a son. The ambassador said that he was on the side of the citizens after the coup, but he waited for 30 years to come to this position. We even held a rally in front of the embassy on the 2nd to clarify our attitude, but in the end it did not respond.”
-The Korean government has issued a message condemning the crackdown on the protests, but has yet to take any diplomatic measures. It is also true that Korean companies that have invested in Myanmar are anxious about the changes in the situation.
“If you know the desperate needs of the citizens of Myanmar and support democracy, but look at the situation and cooperate with the military dictatorship, where on earth can you find true democracy? Democracy shouldn’t be just words. This crisis in Myanmar may be a test of the real will of other democratic countries. Now, the military seems to have seized all of its power, but not only the civilian government system was formed, but it was also trying to equip the army. The majority of Myanmar people want this direction, and a new constitution is already in place. The international community should help to continue this trend and complete the Myanmar democracy.”
-The situation in Myanmar doesn’t feel like a distant country for Koreans who have made a lot of sacrifices through the democratization movement over the past decades. In 1980, civic groups in Gwangju, a symbol of the democratization movement, issued protest statements and expressed solidarity. How can Korean citizens help democratize Myanmar?
“I hope that people around me will work hard to support more democratization of Myanmar. As K-pop fans are in solidarity, I hope that the collective expression of their desire for Myanmar’s democracy will become active and spread. The social media hash tag movement is also helpful.”
Beomsoo Kim Editorial Writer [email protected]
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