But the most permanent form of protest is probably the tattoo.
From big cities like Yangon and Mandalay to Shan State Nyaung Shwe, a small town near the popular tourist spot on Inle Lake, protesters are running for democracy.
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A protester has a three-fingered salute tattoo, a popular gesture from the “Hunger Games” seen during protests in Myanmar. Scroll through the gallery for more. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
“Tattoos are a lasting memory for the rest of your life and a way to express your dreams. They cannot be removed and therefore show solidarity. It unites us protesters,” said Htun Htun, a resident of Nyaung Shwe. from Yangon.
Htun Htun was one of 70 people who attended a tattoo protest in Nyaung Shwe on Friday.
The event, organized by a local group of young people from the Intha ethnic minority, invited residents to get a tattoo in protest to raise funds for the civil disobedience movement, or CDM. The movement saw thousands of white-and-blue-collar workers, from doctors, bankers and lawyers to teachers, engineers and factory workers, leaving their jobs as a form of resistance against the February 1 military coup.
Protesters in Nyaung Shwe on March 5, 2021, demonstrating their support for the civil disobedience movement. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
Eight tattoo artists signed up dozens of participants who were each asked for a minimum donation of $ 2. Each tattoo took about 20 minutes to complete, and for speed, participants were given a choice of four styles: the face of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the words “Spring Revolution,” the phrase “Kabar Ma Kyay Bu.” which refers to a protest song and means “we will not forget until the end of the world”) and the ubiquitous “three-fingered greeting,” from the “Hunger Games,” which became a symbol of resistance to protests in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
The most popular design? A sketch of Suu Kyi’s face.
A protester shows off his new tattoos. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
“I got a tattoo because I love Aung San Suu Kyi and I admire people who stand up and suffer under dictatorship. Getting a tattoo is painful, but it’s nothing compared to our heartache (caused by coup.) said Moh Moh, a 26-year-old participant who refused to give her full name for security reasons.
“The tattoo campaign was our own idea – it’s a group of tattooists using the event to support the MDL. What’s happening now with the protests is more worrying than Covid,” said organizer Nyi Nyi Lwin.
He said the event was marred by recent deadly crackdowns on peaceful protesters by Myanmar security forces, with some fearing that police would ends up arresting participants.
Clashes in progress
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested, charged or convicted by the military junta since taking power, according to the monitoring group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP). Many of them are people taken out of their homes in night raids by police and military, with relatives often being safe where they are being held.
“The protests continue despite the death of innocent people at the hands of the army,” said a tattoo artist, who raised the salute with three fingers but did not want to be named for security reasons. “This situation must stop. We are protesting to release Aung San Suu Kyi and restore democracy.”
As in the “Hunger Games” movies, the salute has become a symbol of resistance among a free collection of activists across Asia called the Milk Tea Alliance due to the popularity of the drink in places shaken by protests. The movement, which began as a hashtag to protest online harassment by Chinese nationalists, has since grown to include members from Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar and even India.
Members support the mutual struggle for democracy and have adopted similar iconographies to protests in each country, including slogans, protest signs, now familiar uniforms of headphones and glasses, protest tactics and three-finger greeting.
A demonstration at Nyaung Shwe on March 5, 2021. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
The popularity of the symbol in protest of Nyaung Shwe’s tattoo indicates how far the movement has spread and how visual dissent is spreading to smaller and more remote parts of Myanmar.
Troubled past
Not far from Nyaung Shwe, located on the Shan Hills, is the Inle Lake resort. In recent weeks, thousands of people have staged a unique form of protest on the lake: gathering on traditional wooden boats and fishing. ships, raising their oars and signs expressing opposition to the military leadership.
Protesters dressed in traditional Shan dress are holding oars and signs as they participate in a demonstration against the military coup in Myanmar on Inle Lake on February 11, 2021. Credit: Calito / AFP / Getty Images
Protests also erupted near other iconic Burmese landmarks, including the UNESCO-protected Bagan site, famous for thousands of ancient pagodas and temples.
From Yangon to the capital Naypyidaw and even among Burmese migrants in Thailand, people tattoo 75-year-old Suu Kyi’s face, chest and arms. A Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner, Suu Kyi led Myanmar as the first civilian leader since the end of military rule in 2011.
Protesters participating in a February 11, 2021 demonstration against the Myanmar military coup in Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Credit: STR / AFP / Getty Images
In 1988, 49-year-old Aung Soe participated in pro-democracy mass protests known as the 8888 Uprising, which were violently suppressed by the military and eventually ended in a coup. state military.
Back then, “all the protesters of that time had tattoos on their upper arm to show unity, but they are different from today’s models.” he said. “Mine shows circles forming a clenched fist.”
Aung Soe said that during the 1988 crackdown, which is believed to have killed at least 3,000 people, he had to change locations frequently to evade authorities. During recent protests, many protesters, activists and journalists also hid, fearing the arrest of security forces.
“Generation Z is much more emotional than we were” he said. “They care so much about freedom. The situation today, compared to 1988, is different because we now have the elected government … and people know what is happening in Myanmar now. In the past, we have not been able to disseminate any information, either in the country or abroad. The international community did not care about us. “
Tattoo culture
Myanmar has a long and rich history of tattoos, especially among the country’s various ethnic groups. In northern Shan and central Karen, men tattoo their thighs to symbolize masculinity and courage. Others believed that traditional tattoos would have magical powers. In the remote state of Mount Chin in western Myanmar, local women were known to tattoo their faces.
But the tattoo was banned in Myanmar – then known as Burma – under British colonial rule. The practice of Chin women tattooing their faces was also banned by the socialist government of the Burmese army in the 1960s.
Since the country began to open up and begin a series of reforms in 2011, tattoos have become more popular, especially among the younger generation.
Htun Htun said all his friends in Nyaung Shwe are getting a protest tattoo, “but in Yangon it is no longer possible because of repression,” he said. “We all hope for democracy and to see the release of our leaders.”
The power of small protests, he said, was “to unite people in one movement.”
“The escalation of violence frightens me, we are defenseless” he added. “Weapons are not the answer to the problem.”