Myanmar and more deaths after anti-coup protesters are attacked by security forces
Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The crisis in Myanmar is increasingly turning violent after the military coup against the leadership of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Thus at least 18 people have been killed in the last 24 hours after security forces repulsed protesters through brute force. Therefore, live rounds by the security apparatus resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people.
It appears that the leaders of the military coup are losing patience with enormous anti-coup protests that are occurring throughout the country. Hence, the stalemate between anti-coup protesters and the coup leaders is reaching an increasingly bloody period.
Deaths have been reported in various parts of the country. This includes Bago, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Pokokku, and Yangon. Thus the clampdown against anti-coup protesters is now in earnest. Therefore, with each new death, the military coup leaders know that the gamble is even more dangerous because the consequences of failure will be severe.
The BBC reports, “The police crackdown was expanded on Sunday as coup leaders sought to quash a civil disobedience campaign that has shown no sign of ending.”
The Irrawaddy says, “Despite using stun grenades and tear gas, police failed to disperse demonstrators taking part in a nationwide general strike against the military regime. Undeterred by the deadly shootings, protesters across the country reorganized and continued their marches in the afternoon.”
In a recent article by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated, “Sadly for Myanmar, major Western democratic powers did little to support State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi before the military coup. Thus a golden opportunity to boost the democratic path was missed because of the Bengali Muslim issue in Rakhine that was manipulated by “external humanitarians.” Therefore, when Myanmar needed greater Western democratic and political ties to develop under State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, this never materialized to any serious degree because of external meddling that plied a one-sided narrative against this country.”
Asian nations must work together to support Myanmar. This applies to the cross-spectrum of democratic nations including India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea – and the one-party state of China because of the economic clout of this nation.
After all, Western sanctions will not deter the elites behind the military coup – nor can Western nations be trusted based on the angle they took against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Therefore, Asian nations need to help Myanmar and impress on the coup leaders the severe economic and political consequences they face if daily bloodshed becomes the norm.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56228357
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