The 2021 Myanmar coup d’état began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar’s military—which then vested power in a stratocracy.

The Tatmadaw proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to 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 even though most of Myanmar’s people are satisfied with the results of the election. 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, their deputies and members of Parliament.

Protests in Myanmar, known locally as the Spring Revolution, began in early 2021 in opposition to the coup. As of 16 April 2021, at least 728 protesters and bystanders, of which at least 44 were children, have been killed by military or police forces and at least 3,141 people detained. Protesters have employed peaceful and nonviolent forms of protest, which include 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. The colour red, which is associated with the National League for Democracy (NLD), has been donned by many protesters.

“Kabar Ma Kyay Bu“, a song that was first popularised as the anthem of the 8888 Uprising, has been revitalised by the civil disobedience movement as a protest song. The three-finger salute has been widely adopted by protesters as a protest symbol. In response to the growing protest movement, the military leaders of the coup enacted a number of countermeasures. These include internet and social media blackouts, a media blackout, pursuit of arrests and criminal sentences against protesters, the spread of disinformation, political overtures to competing political parties to participate in the self-appointed State Administration Council (to replace the elected government body), deployment of pro-military protesters and instigators, and the violent use of force to suppress protests.

Links:
Agenda – #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar 2021 Myanmar coup d’état / 2021–2022 Myanmar protests

#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar 2021 Myanmar coup d’état / 2021–2022 Myanmar protests

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