But the most permanent form of protest is, perhaps, tattooing.
From big cities like Yangon and Mandalay to Shan State Nyang Shwe, a small town near the popular tourist spot of Inle Lake, is being joined by protesters for democracy.
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One protester receives a three-finger salute tattoo, a popular gesture of “The Hunger Games” seen during protests in Myanmar. Scroll through the gallery for more. Deposit: Robert Bossiaga for CNN
“Tattoos are a lasting memory for your whole life, and a way to express our dreams. They can’t be removed and so it shows our unity. It unites those who oppose us,” said Hun Hut, a native of Nyang Shwe. Yangon.
Hutton Hutton was one of about 70 people who took part in an anti-tattoo program in Nyang Shwe on Friday.
Organized by a local youth group of inter-ethnic minorities, the event invited citizens to get protest tattoos to raise money for the civil disobedience movement. Or CDM. The movement has seen thousands of white and blue coal workers, ranging from physicians, bankers and lawyers to teachers, engineers and factory workers, quit their jobs in protest of the February 1 military coup.
On March 5, 2021, protesters in Nyang Shwe expressed their support for the civil disrespect movement. Deposit: Robert Bossiaga for CNN
Eight tattooists inked dozens of participants who were each asked to donate at least 2 for. Each tattoo took about 20 minutes to complete and, for the motion, participants were given a choice of four styles: the face of the expelled leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the word “Spring Revolution”, the word “Kabar Ma Kya Bu” (which references a protest Song and meaning “We will never forget the end of the world”) And the ubiquitous “three-finger salute” from the movies “The Hunger Games”, which has become a symbol of protests in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
The most popular design? Outline of Sue Key’s face.
One protester shows off her new tattoos. Deposit: Robert Bossiaga for CNN
“I got the tattoo because I love Aung San Suu Kyi and admire those who stand and suffer under dictatorship. Getting a tattoo is painful but it is nothing compared to our heartache (rebellion). I want our freedom back. Moh Moh, a 26-year-old participant who did not want to give his full name for security reasons, said.
“The tattoo campaign was our own idea – it’s a group of tattooists who are using the event to support the CDM. What’s happening right now with the protests is more worrying than covid,” said organizer Justice Lwin.
He said the incident came as a surprise to recent violent clashes between peaceful protesters and Myanmar security forces, with some fearing rumors that police would Arrive to arrest attendees.
Ongoing collision
About 2,000 people have been arrested, charged or convicted by the military junta since taking power, according to the Watchdog Group of the Aid for Political Prisoners (APP). While many of them have been pulled from their homes by police and military personnel at night, relatives are often unclear as to where they are being held.
“The protest continues despite the death of innocent people at the hands of the military,” said a tattooist who held a three-finger salute but did not want to be named for security reasons. “This situation must stop. We demonstrate for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy.”
Like the films “The Hunger Games”, the salute has become a symbol of resistance in the loose collections of activists in Asia, who call themselves milk tea connections due to the popularity of the drink in places where protests have caused a stir. Launched as a hashtag to protest online harassment by Chinese nationalists, the movement will then include members from Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar and India.
Members Supports each other’s struggle for democracy and adopts the same iconography in protests in every country, including slogans, protests, now Helmets and goggles, protest tricks and a three-finger salute.
An exhibition at Nyang Shwe on March 5, 2021. Deposit: Robert Bossiaga for CNN
The symbol’s popularity in protest of Nyang Shwe’s tattoos indicates how far the movement has spread – and how visual dissent is taking down smaller and more remote parts of Myanmar.
Past in trouble
Far from Nyang Shwe, nestled in the Shaan Mountains, Inle Lake is a tourist destination. In recent weeks, thousands of people have staged a unique protest on the lake: gathering and fishing on long traditional wooden boats. Ships, holding their oars and signs expressing opposition to military rule.
Opponents wearing traditional shaan dress hold oars and symbols as they take part in a demonstration against Myanmar’s military coup on Lake Inna on February 11, 2021. Deposit: Calito / AFP / Getty Images
Protests have also taken place near Burmese landmarks famous for its thousands of other ancient pagodas and temples, including the site of Eugenesco’s World Heritage Garden.
From Yangon to the capital Naypyidaw, and even among Burmese migrants in Thailand, people are tattooing the face of 75-year-old Suu Kyi on her chest and arms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner, made Myanmar’s first civilian leader since the end of military rule in 2011.
Protesters take part in a demonstration against the Myanmar military coup on February 11, 2021 at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bagan. Deposit: STR / AFP / Getty Images
In 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi, 49, took part in a pro-democracy protest known as the 8888 uprising, which was violently suppressed by the military and eventually culminated in a military coup.
At the time, “all the opponents at the time got tattoos on their upper arms to show solidarity, but that’s different from today’s design.” He said. “Shows the circles that make the mine clenched knob.”
Aung San Suu Kyi said that during the 1988 riots, in which at least 3,000 people were killed, she had to relocate frequently to avoid authorities. During the recent protests, many protesters, activists and journalists also went into hiding for fear of arrest by security forces.
“Generation Z is more emotional than we are.” He said. “They care a lot about independence. The situation today is different from 1988 because we now have an elected government … and the world knows what is happening in Myanmar now. In the past we could not spread any information in that country. Whether abroad or not. The international community did not take care of us. “
Tattoo culture
Myanmar has a long and rich history of tattooing, especially among the country’s various ethnic groups. In the states of Northern Shaan and Central Karen, men get tattoos on their thighs to symbolize masculinity and bravery. Others believe that traditional tattoos have magical powers. In the remote, mountainous state of Chin in western Myanmar, local women get tattoos on their faces.
But tattooing was banned in Myanmar – then known as Burma – under British colonial rule. The Burmese military’s socialist government outlawed the practice of tattooing Chinese women on their faces in the 1960s.
Since the beginning of various reforms in the country since 2011, tattoos have become more popular, especially among the younger generation.
Hutun Hunte said all his friends in Nyang Shwe are getting protest tattoos, “but that’s not possible now because of the cracks in Yangon.” “We all hope to see the release of democracy and our leaders.”
He said the power of small protests was “to unite people in one movement.”
“The escalation of violence scares me, we are incapable.” He added. “Guns are not the solution to the problem.”
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