Protests in Myanmar: Anger is Greater Than Fear

At night, riot police come and take people out of their homes. During the day, protesters in Myanmar were beaten by security forces. But they will not be afraid.

Protesters in Yangon remind us of the turtle formation of the Roman Legion when they train with telescoping shields to repel an attack by the police. However, when in doubt, self-protection is of little use. Bullets from sharp weapons easily penetrate sheet metal. Just yesterday, three people were killed again in northern Myanmar when police fired into protest crowds. The protesters chanted “Happy New Year” in a sarcastic response to the police shots.

Holger Senzel
ARD-Studio Singapur

At night, riot police come

But the peacefulness of the protesters did not deter the security forces from violent excesses. Videos on social media show police officers beating people on the ground with batons, and a barrage of tear gas roams the streets. Protesters are trying to minimize the effect of foam that irritates the fire extinguishers. Police riot police frequently pull people out of the crowd or drive them out of their homes at night.

The death of an Aung San Suu Kyi’s Democracy League official in police custody shocked people. The photos show his head with a blood-stained bandage, says an employee ARD Radio In Yangon: “This case showed us that the army can imprison anyone at any time and that it can kill people without reason.”

Security guards are checking smartphones

The anger of the people on the streets is still greater than their fear. They roam the streets chanting “Doi” (“Our duty”). In Yangon, the largest city in the country, 200 peaceful demonstrators were surrounded by police. Army units, our employee reports, are camping on hospital grounds in many cities and intimidating doctors, nurses, and patients.

In addition, security forces have increasingly checked people’s smartphones on the streets and checked their contacts: “My mother’s phone was also checked yesterday when she was traveling elsewhere. Licenses for four newspapers have also been revoked and you are no longer allowed to broadcast news. This means. The army has now ended all freedom of expression and exchange of information. ”

The body of a 19-year-old child was exhumed

Meanwhile, an order was issued to exhume the body of the 19-year-old who was shot at a protest. When she died violently, she was wearing a T-shirt that read “Everything will be fine”. The authorities denied that the bullet was fired by the police or the army.

The Military Council, which seized power on February 1, appointed a public relations agent. Ari Ben-Menashe, a former arms dealer who worked with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and the Sudanese military and presidential candidates in Venezuela, Tunisia and Kyrgyzstan, is said to “help convey the real situation in the country.”