[Bloody crackdowns and massacres
initiate anger and stronger desire for a future without the Tatmadaw]
By Guardian reporter
From soldiers randomly shooting passersby in the street to imminent economic collapse, anxieties have been plentiful in Myanmar since its military seized power on 1 February.
But unease was surging ahead of
Armed Forces Day on Saturday when the military was expected to meet protesters
with a brutal crackdown.
These expectations were more than
realised. A one-year-old baby playing outside survived a rubber bullet to the
eye, but other children, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed.
While the night sky in the
purpose-built capital of Naypyidaw was momentarily aglow with a drone display
of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, his troops burned alive a snacks vendor in
Mandalay. A witness said the man screamed for his mother as the flames
enveloped him.
At least 114 civilians were killed
on the day, according to news portal Myanmar Now, taking the overall number of
those reported killed since the coup to more than 440.
On Sunday, Myanmar’s biggest city,
Yangon, was stunned – not for the first time in recent weeks. Besides the odd
ice-cream seller, the streets were muted, as the trauma of recent days surfaced
in pedestrians’ reactions when a taxi backfired, or a brick hit the ground at a
construction site.
An eerie silence hung over a
usually bustling area of central downtown, where the previous day police had
dragged a passenger from a car, reportedly because he raised the three-finger
salute – a symbol of defiance against the military that, ubiquitous only weeks
ago, can now put you at risk of harm and arrest.
Yet underneath the scorching sun,
the padauk trees that line the streets are blooming their golden flowers, which
represent strength in Myanmar. People are afraid, but so are the police. They
have erected barricades around their stations in fear of retribution.
For some, the fear that has defined
March has turned into fury at the military’s inhumanity, impunity and
incompetence. A realisation has dawned that fighting and defeating the
military, known as the Tatmadaw, is the only way out of this dictatorship. Some
protesters have already moved to territory held by ethnic rebels for combat
training while a group representing Myanmar’s elected government has hinted at
the formation of a federal army comprising ethnic armed groups and
pro-democracy supporters.
“The regime will fail,” said a
24-year-old protester, whose two friends were arrested on Saturday and who
wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons. “The federal government will
win.”
While many foreigners and locals
were attempting to exit the country before more violence, infrastructure
breakdowns, and the possibility of a civil war, those who were staying had
strengthened their resolve.
A 19-year-old man described the
bloodiest crackdown yet this weekend as “a loss for the future”, given the
young people who were killed. “There is so much anger and an even stronger
desire for the junta to be removed,” he said, but there is confusion about what
should be the next steps for the pro-democracy movement.
Min Aung Hlaing’s long-term plan is
unclear, if it exists. Rather than intelligence and rationale, large sectors of
the public believe the general is driven by ego and cruelty.
“Everyone is disgusted to see the
military leaders celebrating with a big parade and a dinner party when earlier
that day they massacred well over a hundred people,” said a university student.
Min Aung Hlaing has unleashed
unimaginable violence on Myanmar. But his coup has also had the unintended
consequence of creating new leaders who are willing to correct the mistakes of
the past, such as discrimination against the Rohingya, and lead a new, united
country. They are showing the population that a future without the Tatmadaw is
possible.
“The military’s actions are only
making people angrier,” said the student. “We are furious more than scared.”