Myanmar news: Second NLD member dies in custody
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The political crisis generated by the military coup in Myanmar shows no signs of abating. Indeed, with the second death of a member from the National League for Democracy (NLD) dying in custody, the crisis is increasingly becoming more brutal.
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested on the orders of the military elites behind the coup. Since then, fellow members of the NLD have been targetted and approximately 50 protesters have been killed.
Hence, news of the second member of the NLD to die in custody is bound to heighten tensions further. It is believed that Ko Zaw Myat Lin had drawn the wrath of the state apparatus because of his active participation in denouncing the military coup. Therefore, his death – shrouded in mystery – is highlighting the violent oppression that is occurring in Myanmar since the coup took place.
Voice of America reports, “Myanmar has been consumed by chaos and violence since February 1, when the military overthrew the civilian government and detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking NLD officials. Military officials say widespread fraud occurred in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide, a claim denied by Myanmar’s electoral commission.”
Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD were hindered by endless condemnations by Western and Islamic powers. Thus the crisis in Rakhine was a one-sided mantra that led to limited economic, political, and social interaction between many international nations during the path of democracy. Hence, when Myanmar needed Western democratic nations to support this nation during a difficult transitional period – concerning the past colonial history and countless internal ethnic struggles – this nation was betrayed on the grounds of “humanitarianism.”
The upshot is that the military coup – just like what happens in other countries including the regional nation of Thailand – was all too predictable.
Thus it is essential for Asian democratic powers and the one-party state of China to seek a political compromise in Myanmar – irrespective of the current gaps between people behind the military coup, the NLD, protesters, and other groups involved in the ongoing struggle. Of course, this is very complex but with each new death then the imperativeness becomes even more important.
Myanmar can’t afford to tear itself apart, nor can it waste another generation to limited freedom and opportunities.
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