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Civil disobedience rejecting the coup (Jack Taylor / AFP)
It appears that the leaders of the military coup in Myanmar continue to consolidate their grip by holding the first ministerial meeting on Wednesday amid intensified calls for civil disobedience, as Washington officially accused the military of carrying out a “coup.” and promised new sanctions against the military authorities.
On Monday, the military abruptly ended the country’s fragile democratic transition by imposing a state of emergency for a year and arrested Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials from her “National League for Democracy” party.
Two days after this coup, which was condemned by several foreign capitals, the coup leaders held the first ministerial meeting, in a step that would confirm this coup.
Myanmar’s new leader, Min Aung Hlaing, announced at his first military cabinet meeting in the capital that the military government that was formed after a coup plans to carry out an investigation into the alleged fraud in last year’s elections and also will prioritize dealing with the Corona virus outbreak, and the economy, according to what I mentioned, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Wednesday.
The newspaper reported that Min Aung Hlaing told cabinet members that a new union election commission, along with what he described as independent and impartial individuals, “will examine the voting data to achieve correct results and appropriate action will be taken in This process”.
He added that the measures to contain the Corona virus, taken by the Suu Kyi government, will continue.
The general also urged that measures be taken to boost the economy affected by Corona, especially the agricultural sector on which 70 percent of the country’s population living in rural areas depend.
In the context of consolidating their control, soldiers raided the offices of the National League for Democracy in various regions of the country, and confiscated documents and computers, according to the agency “Reuters”.
Shame in the army
On the other hand, the first signs of rejection of the coup appeared on social networks. A group called the “Civil Disobedience Movement” launched “Facebook,” and by Wednesday morning it has about 150,000 subscribers. “Shame on the army” and “soldiers are thieves” are two slogans on this page, as doctors and nurses did not hesitate to announce their desire to protest.
“We will obey only our democratically elected government,” these health workers wrote in a joint statement, as the army objects to the results of the November legislative elections, in which the National League won.
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– Doug Martin (@ Dougmbe97) February 3, 2021
They added: “We have stopped going to hospitals that are now under illegal military authority.”
On Tuesday night, in a business district of Rangoon, the economic capital of the country, residents banged pots to protest while some chanted “Long live mother Su”, referring to Aung San Suu Kyi.
San Suu Kyi had anticipated the possibility of a coup, so she prepared a written letter before her arrest urging the people of Myanmar to “not accept the coup.”
But fear of retaliation remains high in the country, which has lived since its independence in 1948 under a military dictatorship for fifty years.
“People are aware of the extent to which the military can use violence and are indifferent to international reputation, and this can curb the desire for mobilization,” said Francis Wade, author of books on the country.
On Wednesday, the state-controlled newspaper “Global New Light of Myanmar” published a warning from the Ministry of Information that read: “Some organizations and media are spreading rumors on social media.” And he warned against carrying out such actions, calling on neighbors to “cooperate.”
The coup, which saw General Min Aung Hlaing, who now brings together almost all the authorities at the head of a military government, was “inevitable”, drawing international condemnation.
A test for the American president
And after threatening to impose new sanctions, the Joe Biden administration stepped up its rhetoric against Myanmar on Tuesday, in the first international test for the new US president.
A US official said: “We conclude that Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the ruling party in Myanmar, and Win Myint, the elected prime minister, were fired in a military coup.”
This legal decision suspends direct aid to the state of Myanmar.
But this decision remains largely symbolic because Myanmar’s military is primarily subject to sanctions since atrocities committed by its soldiers in 2017 against the Rohingya Muslim minority, in a crisis that has led UN investigators to accuse Myanmar of commit “genocide”.
International reactions
On the other hand, and also in the context of international reactions, the Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven expressed, on Wednesday, their “serious concern” about the coup in Myanmar.
“We are extremely concerned about the arrest of political leaders and civil society activists, including State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint,” said a joint statement issued from London, “and about attacks on the media of communication”.
He added: “We call on the army to end the state of emergency immediately, restore power to the democratically elected government, release all unjust detainees and respect human rights and the rule of law.”
For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Wednesday that the European Union should “consider” imposing new sanctions on Myanmar’s military if they do not lift the state of emergency.
Le Drian told “Europe 1” radio: “If the situation continues, we must think at the European level, of additional measures to show our support for the democratic path and at the same time our desire not to allow this country to drift towards a dictatorship military.”
Yesterday, Tuesday, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors, but could not agree on a common text. A diplomat, who declined to be named, told “Agence France Presse” that negotiations are still ongoing.
To adopt a joint declaration, the support of China, which has veto power, must be obtained as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
But Beijing remains Myanmar’s main ally at the United Nations. During the Rohingya crisis, China responded to all the initiatives of the UN Security Council, considering that the conflict with the Muslim minority in the country is an internal matter of Burma.
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