Military Parade By Coup Leaders on the Bloodiest Day In Myanmar History

 

Source: nepia.com

It was a propitious day in Myanmar’s calendar, 27th march marked the full moon day of the bong also an important day in Buddhism when people observe it with festivities and by visiting the pagodas.

But from today, 27th March will be remembered and commemorated as one of the deadliest crackdowns by security forces of Myanmar against its people. The death toll has gone beyond a hundred and is only rising.

Myanmar has witnessed massive protests and violence since February of this year and on 27th March alone over 140 civilians were killed making it the bloodiest day in the country.

Long stretches of protests and fatal crackdown have agitated the country since the February 1 coup brought about a complete military rule. The fatality previous to Saturday’s bloodbath was assessed to be above 400. As many as 512 has been killed since February and over 2,500 including journalists and civilians have been arrested by the security forces.

 

Source: futurity.org

How Did This All Begin?

Out of numerous reasons and speculations, one of the major causes for the coup is pointed towards the military. The military seized power illegally in a coup in Myanmar by removing the elected leaders.

Since then, the military is ruling in Myanmar. This all started when democratically elected leader and noble peace prize-winning activist Aung San Suu Kyi registered a victory in the elections that were held in November of 2020.

But the military refused to accept the results of November 2020, calling the elections fraudulent and rigged. On the 1st of February, the state military detained Aung San Suu Kyi and twenty-four others who won the elections, claiming the National League for Democracy party (NLU) committed fraud in the election process.

They named eleven replacements hours before the newly elected leaders were all set to take the stage, they were all set to take on new responsibilities. The country has seen massive protests against military rule. People want democracy back. They have asked for the release of their leaders.

The power today is enjoyed by the military and the junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing. Many countries and world leaders have now condemned the military takeover in Myanmar. They have written letters and have asked the military to let democracy take its own course.

But all of this is like trying to show colours to blind eyes. The military overthrow of the government was a planned move, and this is taken from November to February and still happening.

 

Source:nbcnews.com

Why Should All This Matter to India?

India shares its boundary with Myanmar. Over one thousand people and more than that have escaped from Myanmar to the bordering state of Mizoram in India.

The military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing threw a lavish dinner party to celebrate the Armed Forces Day on the evening of 27th march, all the while his army carried out strikes in Karen state.

India and several other countries were attending the parade in Myanmar’s capital city to mark Tatmadaw day which is another name for the military. On the same day, the military in Myanmar killed 140 people. So India’s move of attending the Tatmadaw day did not go down well.

India was among the eight nations which decided to send a delegate to go to the Myanmar Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyidaw on March 27. As the information about the involvement of foreign missions at the parade came about, there was prompt denunciation from pro-democracy activists on social media.

A Twitter account that has been verified as the account of the Myanmar pro-democracy movement is said to have questioned India’s attendance in the parade. It raised questions as to why one of the greatest democracies of the world shook hands with those generals whose hands are soaked in the blood of Myanmar’s people.

India has a history of fighting insurgencies along with Myanmar’s military and the cooperation of the military on both sides has helped India in bringing peace to the northeastern states. 

But India made its stance very clear in a few days. It condemned the violence and said that it demanded the release of detained leaders in a closed-door meeting with Myanmar.

 

What's Next For India?

Now, the major concern for India will be to witness a surge of refugees from Myanmar. Due to the current situation, the Mizoram government has asked the security forces to assist all those people who are currently fleeing Myanmar to India to help and support them.

But the center plans to deport all these migrants as they seem to be entering the country illegally. The Mizoram government has sent about a hundred refugees back to Myanmar, but those refugees came back to the state.

 

What Might Have Happened If NLD Assumed Power?

In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest and several charges including electoral misconduct, breach of import-export laws and procession of unlawful communication devices have been filed against her.

The latest win of NLD back in November 2020 paved the way for a larger constitution but the military rejected the result citing irregularities in polling. However, NLD and the election commission said that the elections were fair.

Elections would have been a major setback to the military as Suu Kyi promised reforms. Elections gave her the mandate to change the constitution. The military was rattled by the election and knew that they could lose power.

And hence we are witnessing what we are seeing today, the coup, the clam down on pro-democracy protestors or the killing of innocent civilians, children and others who are demanding that Myanmar be given its due democracy that Myanmar people have fought for a very long time be restored at its full capacity.

 

Written by – Bhavana N

Edited by – Adrija Saha