Goodbye Ananda
As of April 1st evening, Ananda, Ooredoo, and other broadband internet networks that are 4G based have joined Sim2Fly in heaven. RIP.
Tags: censorship, internet, coup
How much longer until the escalation stops?
We're now getting to a point where the two main protagonists of this fight: the Tatmadaw and the protestors/demonstrators are trying to outdo eachother's tactics. We've seen this since the beginning.
- Coup happens
- People bang pots and pans
- Tighter restrictions enacted by junta
- People peacefully take to the streets
- Police start using tear gas
- Protestors begin to wear goggles, gas masks, other protective gear ... Throw back gas canisters at security forces
- Security forces use rubber bullets
- Protestors design make-shift shields
- Security forces use real bullets (deaths occur)
- Protestors make better shields and start to arm themselves with slingshots and molotov cocktails
- More and more deaths occur at the hands of the security forces
- Protestors learn to make their own grenades, canonons, RPGs, and other weapons à la Anarchist Cookbook.
Meanwhile, some ethnic armed groups (EAOs), particularly the KNU (Karen National Union) have decided to show their muscle against the Tatmadaw. The KNU captured at least 10 Burmese soldiers and plundered the base, taking a lot of weaponry and then proudly posting their loot on the internet for all to see. The Tatmadaw certainly saw it and launched an air-raid offensive which lasted throughout the weekend of 27-28 March.
Everywhere you turn in Burma now, you see nothing but escalation of violence and advancement of tactics, "on all sides," to quote a(n) (in)famous U.S. President. The big question now is, "which side gives first" and "to what level will this situation (de)escalate?"
It appears to me that the demonstrators are not yet willing to back down and the military is certainly not in a position where they would back down. As one scholar remarked to me, the only situation where the military would back down, is if they were given a face-saving method of backing out of the situation. If the military simply backs out of their own volition, they may appear weak, from an Asian perspective. However, if someone else gives them a viable option of backing off, such as a lovely retirement package for all of the top brass, then no one has anything to be ashamed of.
The only certain thing is that many people are very skeptical of positive developments within the month of April and those who can are getting out of the city and even the country altogether. It's only a waiting game, at this point.
Tags: CDM, coup, violence, protestors, Gen-Z, EAO
So, what's the outcome of the silent protest?
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 was the day of the "silent protest" in Yangon. I was notified of its existence by a friend forwarding me a JPG that was forwarded to him by a friend, who probably received it from others, who received it from others, etc. The method was simple: On Wednesday, no one in Yangon was to leave their homes, go out to buy anything, go onto the street, and to make any noise, whatsoever. It read verbatim like this:
March 24 - Silence [sic] Strike
- No ppl on the street
- No car
- No shop
The tagline at the bottom read: "Silence will be our loudest cry."
Underneath that mess was a better-worded Burmese poster, but you get my drift. That was ... It. In the Burmese poster, there was a section entitled "Why?" I'll give a rough translation:
Why
- To give peaceful silence for our fallen heroes
- To regain our lost strength
- To counter the idea that we've become just like the terroristic military
Result
Okay, so what was the result? Well, according to the Irrawaddy, not only individuals chose to stay home, but many shopping chains, such as City Mart, were shut down. Around one hundred retail employees were detained and questioned overnight as to why they participated in the protests.
So, apparently, the silent protest did manage to ruffle the feathers of the administration. Indeed, I frequent City Mart at least once a week and, during these times of banks not being fully open, only the people with large reserves of cash tend to go there. Meaning, a lot of them are probably connected to the military. Thus, worried about an economic collapse, the SAC (State Administration Council) threatened retail workers to not participate anymore.
Again, it does appear that the Committe Representing Pyithu Hluttaw (CRPH) is hoping for an economic collapse, to put pressure on the regime that way. Will it happen and will it succeed? Only time will tell, I suppose.
Tags: silence, protest, CDM, coup
Let's talk about social punishment
I'm not entirely sure whether or not I agree with this notion of social punishment. It's not that I fear for my own reputation nor that I have something in particular worth hiding. I just don't know if retaliating against the preceived elite is overly beneficial. On the one hand, they are indeed benefitting in one way or another from their relatives' past dealings (often corrupt). But are they "sinful" as well in any of this?
Luckily, there seems to be a workflow. The individual is observed (usually through social media) and the court of public opinion determines whether the individual has said anything worthy enough of being "passed over" Deuteronomy style. Such as,
- Have they publicly supported CDM?
- Have the publicly denounced the misdeeds of their ancestors?
- Have they publicly denounced the military coup?
etc.
These private individuals, however, are between a rock and a hard place. Many, not wanting to dishonor their parents following the traditional ဘုရား တရား သံဃာ မိဘ ဆရာ (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Parents, Teachers) teaching that one must always respect these five "gems," especially parents, since they gave you life. In their Buddhist mindset, this is almost an impossible thing to do.
We Westerners and some westernized Burmese people would denounce their family in a heartbeat if they disagreed with some atrocities. I doubt that these "crony kids" would easily be able to do the same.
Nonetheless, there are certain Facebook pages and websites, which I won't link here, that can lead a visitor to a wall of photos with names, known addresses, known affiliates, etc. of these targeted individuals. One thing I worry about is that the creators of such pages may be unmasked one day. Most Burmese people are using a freely available VPN app called "1.1.1.1," which is not private and not entirely secure, in terms of the user knowing exactly what happens to their data. If the data were intercepted, the creators of these pages could face lifetime in jail or perhaps even the death penalty. It goes to show, however, how the Burmese people will use whatever means they have to try to win this fight.
Tags: social-punishment, CDM, coup, internet, security
Time to make a separate blog.
Introduction
While my main website works fine as a general blog, I had a feeling ever since Feb 1 that I should be more public (yet careful) with my thoughts about the country. I knew it was too risky to publicly speak my mind while in Burma, but I began to write this blog while I was still in country.
Why I decided to leave
In the beginning, I thought I would be able to stay through all of the events and that life would resume as normal after things settled down, whether under a civilian-elected government or a junta. I knew that with my work, I would try to do my best to serve the people in Burma, no matter the political situation. As things progressed for the worse, however, I began to have doubts. Things got personal after the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) encouraged the closure of banks, thus halting my salary payments indefinitely. While I was never in it for the money, I do need to eat. The internet cuts and the night raids, however, started to make me more and more paranoid. It became difficult for me to concentrate on my work and my family abroad was very concerned for my safety. I figured that I would, at least at this time, serve the country better abroad, rather than locally.
My feelings
I mourned over the thought that I had to leave. I didn't want to desert my friends and others that I grew to love here. I would miss the fellowship, the nightly walks with friends, the inexpensive Indian food, the Sunday bike rides. But many of these joys were already taken from me, now. If not by COVID-19, then by the new regulations. My life in Burma as I knew it was over. So, it was time for me to leave, so I could keep the happy memories with me, before the sad ones overshadowed them.