The Military coup

The 2021 Myanmar coup d'état began on the morning of 1 February 2021 when democratically elected members of Myanmar's ruling party, the National League for Democracy, were deposed by the Military. The Military proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been vested in Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing.

It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency. The coup d'état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring. President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers and their deputies and members of Parliament.

How did the coup unfold?

In the early hours of Monday, the army's TV station said power had been handed over to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing. Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested in a series of raids. It is not clear where they are being held.

No major violence has been reported. Soldiers blocked roads in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon. International and domestic TV channels, including the state broadcaster, went off air. Internet and phone services were disrupted. Banks said they had been forced to close for one day. Later, the military announced that 24 ministers and deputies had been removed, and 11 replacements had been named, including in finance, health, the interior and foreign affairs. A curfew is now reportedly in effect from 20:00 local time to 04:00.

Civil resistance efforts have emerged within the country, in opposition to the coup, in numerous forms, including acts of civil disobedience, labour strikes, a military boycott campaign, a pot-banging movement, a red ribbon campaign, public protests, and formal recognition of the election results by elected representatives.

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Civil Disobedience Movement

On 2 February, healthcare workers and civil servants across the country launched a national civil disobedience campaign, in opposition to the coup, with workers from from dozens of state-run hospitals and institutions initiating a labour strike. A Facebook campaign group dubbed the "Civil Disobedience Movement" has attracted over 200,000 followers, since its initial launch on 2 February 2021.

Healthcare workers from dozens of state-run hospitals and institutions initiated a labour strike starting 3 February 2021. As of 3 February 2021, healthcare workers in over 110 hospitals and healthcare agencies have participated in the movement. Labor strike participants have faced intimidation and threats from superiors. By 9 February, COVID vaccination had been suspended, and most hospitals in Myanmar had shut down.

The labor strikes have quickly spread to other sectors. Min Ko Naing, an 8888 Uprising leader, has urged the public to adopt a "no recognition, no participation" stance to the military regime. Banks were also impacted by staff participation in the ongoing campaign.

The motto of this campaign is "ရုံးမတက်နဲ့ ရုန်းထွက်" which was viral on the social media in past few days. People also believe that CDM has synergistic effect with on ground protests. There is also public shaming to those who do not participate in this movement which is regarded as betrayal to the civilians.

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PUBLIC PROTESTS

On 2 February 2021, some Yangonites staged a brief 15-minute protest rally at 20:00 local time, calling for the overthrow of the dictatorship and Suu Kyi's release. On 4 February 2021, 30 citizens protested against the coup d'état, in front of the University of Medicine in Mandalay, an act that led to four arrests.

On 6 February 2021, the first large-scale protests were organized in Myanmar. 20,000 protestors took part in a street protest in Yangon against the coup d'état, calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Chants included, "Military dictator, fail, fail; Democracy, win, win". Drivers honked their horns in support.

Public protests were also organized across Upper Myanmar, including the cities of Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Bagan, Hpakhant, Lashio, Magwe, Mogok, and Pyin Oo Lwin, Taunggyi as well as Lower Myanmar, including the cities of Mawlamyaing, Dawei, Pathein, and Myaungmya, and Myawaddy.

In the national capital of Naypyidaw, riot police deployed water cannons on protesters to clear out the roads, becoming the first known use of water cannons since the protests began. In the evening of Feb 8, martial law and a nightly curfew was impose in major cities and towns, including Yangon and Mandalay, effectively banning gatherings of more than 5 people.

On 9 February, protesters defied martial law, and continued to organize larger public protests across the country. Police began a crackdown of protests, firing bullets, and using water cannons to disperse the crowds. Myanmar teenager Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was supposed to be celebrating her 20th birthday on Thursday. Instead, she is fighting for her life in a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw after she was shot in the head when police cracked down on a protest against the military coup on that day.

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