People protesting in the streets of Myanmar after a military coup do so in very different circumstances compared to previous demonstrations in the country, according to an analyst at the political research firm Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Four people were injured, including one critically injured person. It was the most violent day of protests against the army, which this month overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
“That’s what people have been afraid of all week, as these protests have grown and you have had tens, maybe hundreds, thousands of people on the streets of Yangon and Mandalay and Naypyitaw,” Gregory Poling, senior senior at Southeast Asia at CSIS “Squawk Box Asia” on Wednesday.
Protesters travel by scooters in a large convoy demonstration against the military coup in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on February 7, 2021.
STR | AFP | Getty Images
He explained that these protests are very different from the large-scale demonstrations that took place in 2007, known as the “Saffron Revolution”, which was triggered by the military government’s decision to raise fuel prices.
“This is a Myanmar that has spent the last 10 years opening up to the world, democratizing,” Poling said. “Most citizens have access to mobile internet – or had it before the coup. Most people on the street probably don’t directly remember the Saffron Revolution and certainly don’t remember 1988.”
Myanmar witnessed protests, marches and civil unrest nationwide in 1988 in what is sometimes called the 1988 Uprising.
“This could be both good and bad, as it could very well convince them that the army will not stop,” Poling said of the current protesters. “Or maybe it gives them confidence to go out and show the generals that they do not govern the same Myanmar that they did 15 years ago.
He explained that while it was a “remarkably dangerous time” for Myanmar, the junta did not immediately jump to the worst possible response. In previous protests, protesters were killed in crackdowns, while many were arrested.
Protesters in the capital Naypyitaw and other cities such as Mandalay were injured by security forces, Reuters was quoted as saying by local media. The agency reported that police fired heavily into the air and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters. CNBC was unable to independently verify these reports.
The United States condemned the military takeover and threatened sanctions. Beijing’s response was softer, with the Foreign Ministry, in recent press meetings, characterizing China as “Myanmar’s friendly neighbor” and calling for solutions that would ensure the latter’s political and social stability.
But China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand have a greater influence on Myanmar’s economy than the United States.
“I think the real question is what Japan is doing, because it’s the only one of those major players that could impose some kind of economic pain on the generals,” he said.
Japan’s deputy defense minister warned this month that if the world closes channels of communication with Myanmar’s military generals in response to the coup, it could push the Southeast Asian nation closer to China, reports said. local.