The Myanmar Military Needs to End The Coup

The Myanmar military should give up the inequitable nationwide coup and restore democratic power to the rightfully elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. 

In 1988, Burma students took to the streets in an effort speak out against the current military leader’s repressive policies and economic hardships. These protests against unjust rule ended in a violent military coup that seized power and resulted in 1,500 deaths within the first week of power.

While the military reported only around 350 deaths, many claim there were hundreds of deaths resulting from military powers.

It has become abundantly clear that history has repeated itself.

As of February 1, the military in Myanmar (Burma), a country in southern Asia located the northwest of Thailand, have destabilized the government and staged a coup. The insurgence is in response to unproven claims of a fraudulent election of Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic icon, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

This is comparable to claims made by former president Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, when he rejected the outcome that the Democrat choice, Joe Biden, was elected. The U.S. is still facing the fallout caused by these false accusations.

The organization of this coup is unjust, wrought with unproven claims and unsubstantiated allegations of a fraudulent election. The military has organized rolling blackouts as a way to disconnect Myanmar from the rest of the world and keep groups loyal to Suu Kyi from communicating with each other. It has also adopted laws against the use of many forms of communication and social media. 

The blackouts are a flagrant attempt to subvert the will of the population, who rightfully elected Suu Kyi. At least 21 protestors have been killed so far due to the militaries abrasive methods to enforce restrictions, including firing rubber bullets and live ammunition.

These actions are not only seemingly without reason, but inhumane by any standard. 

Hla Htun, a Green River student, claims that due to the persistent danger of Myanmar, and the stress of the situation, many of his friends are under almost constant emotional duress. This serves to illustrate the severity of the strain many people in Myanmar are currently under, knowing they are unsafe at any point in the day.

People, citizens, should feel safe in their country and their homes. The coup in Myanmar is a blatant abuse of power against citizens. The actions taken are a violation of human rights and should be recognized as so.