Military coup in Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi (360b / Shutterstock.com)
It's bumblebee with the neighbor of Thailand. The military in Myanmar has staged a coup and arrested government leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In addition, a state of emergency has been declared. Military commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing will take over power for a period of one year, the coup plotters said in a TV broadcast.
Besides Aung San Suu Kyi (75), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, other cabinet members and prominent party members have also been arrested and detained.
The military has defended the coup by claiming electoral fraud, but observers say parliamentary elections in November were fair. Aung San Suu Kyi's party again won an absolute majority.
In the largest city of Yangon, soldiers guard the city hall, eyewitnesses report. Internet and telephony are down in both that city and the capital Naypyidaw. All banks across the country are closed.
The popular Aung San Suu Kyi became the first democratically elected head of government in 2016 after decades of military rule. For years she lived under house arrest. In 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for democracy in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi was widely criticized internationally for accusations of genocide against the Rohingya minority, but remains popular domestically. The UN stated in 2017 that there was an ethnic cleansing. More than 700.000 members of the Muslim minority have fled the country in recent years.
Source: NOS.nl
Sad but true. The uniforms, which occupy a quarter of the seats in both chambers by constitution, have never been happy with Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government and the rumor of fraud is enough to override the will of the people. And that while Aung has denied the genocide with fire to keep the uniforms out of the wind after The Gambia's complaint.
What now? Diplomatic sputtering won't help much because China is the great friend and bad example there. I fear that the violence will increase because of the three armies that bear the name of Arakan and who will be the victim? That's right, Bert Burger.
Soldiers have no business in politics, just about all coups are not there to improve the situation for the common people, but to secure power for a limited group. I would like to see the people not put up with this and know how to undermine the coup (relay strikes or something?) . In the end, democracy (voice of the people) will prevail.
In the USSR, "democracy wins" has lasted for 70 years, and is again largely off the cards. Ditto China since 1949. Ditto Cuba since 1959. Democracy is, at most, a 100-year thin veneer over millennia of dictatorship.
A “real” democrat is not a supporter of big government or the associated enforcement instruments (army, police, etc.). The smaller the better. The fewer layers between top and bottom the better. The greater the distance (links, discs) the sooner things will go wrong. For example, democracy works well in an association or work (in the USSR the workers voted for their managers, not happy with the manager? Vote him out). But in large groups it is much more difficult, give an elite the power (money, capital, government, influence) and with the help of the army and police they can keep the plebs under control. The people do have the power of numbers, so if we work together to structurally put a spoke in the wheels of those in power (strikes or, if necessary, revolution) then this gives a reset opportunity. Is there a danger that the new leaders will stick to the plush...
Revolution is the same as a coup with many innocent victims, history shows. And name a country with a revolution, which would now be an example.
No, these are leprechaun thoughts from the 60s.
“A “true” Democrat is not a supporter of big government or its associated enforcement tools (military, police, etc.).”
If this were true, the most democratic political parties in the Netherlands would be the VVD, the PVV and the FvD. Democratic then becomes almost synonymous with liberal and nationalist.
If I hadn't been looking for you.
The people will prevail and will protest against the army until her beloved San Suu kyi will be free again
In the end, the voice of the people will prevail and be a democratic country again.
Back to square one and an illusion richer. Another example of how a certain part of humanity is doing. So criminal. The people are the victims, but yes with weaponry you can come across as convincing. A cowardly act by people who should never be employed in that place. Abuse of power in optima forma committed by the army and other stakeholders.
Myanmar follows the example of its neighbours. To be clear, that's not just China.
Thailand is also one of those exemplary neighbours.
Or those exemplary neighbors set a good example??? I leave that in the middle.
Everyone's opinion is democratic, right?
Perhaps the army leaders there have taken an example from their eastern neighbours?
There too, after 1 year of elections and then “free elections”, where have we heard that before?
Exactly Sjaak, but if you manipulate elections afterwards, then suddenly a high general is prime minister.
Claiming election fraud without providing evidence.
Where have we seen that before?
Back to square one for Myanmar.
What strikes me sometimes in reactions when it comes to 'Thailand and democracy', for example, is that people sometimes think condescendingly about the phenomenon of democracy. I attribute that to a lack of wisdom or understanding. Myanmar has once again shown today how fragile democracy is. It turns out how easy it is once again for a regime in possession of the means of power to push aside an existing relative freedom.
All authoritarian or dictatorial regimes show what they fear: not a constitution, because they write it themselves. Not for elections, because they organize them themselves. Not even for a separation of powers (trias politica), because they appoint them as they see fit. Not even for free media, because they restrict them.
No, what they fear is the emergence of a civil society. Afraid that, for example, trade unions, nature and environmental organisations, patients' associations, employers' associations, political parties, NGOs, etc. will arise, receive support from the population and have a say, co-determination, claim power.
Thailand is still a long way from where its rulers are able to handle a dialogue. Hence the constant pressing down and keeping it small. Myanmar under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi showed a start, but election victory in November 2020 turned out to be a step too far.
It is not to be hoped that a regime will emerge in the South-East Asia region that will resemble that in China: a top-down government controlling the entire society with a minimum of freedom of movement for the population.
I am increasingly getting the impression that the regime in communist China is slowly but surely taking over power in the entire region of South East Asia, which includes Myanmar.
I increasingly get the impression that the current summit in Thailand is more focused on China than on the USA and Europe, as before. But could be a figment of my imagination.
Jan Beute.
I always thought Thailand was anti-communist. Especially during the Vietnam War. Then they fought the Communist regimes. But times seem to be changing.
A shame and many steps back for the local population and for the development process of the country. The difficult setback of a democratic system that had struggled to emerge. All the country's neighbors struggle with this phenomenon to a greater or lesser extent. A growth process? Although Western democracies do not always seem to be able to write down “the only ideal path”. Rising extremism, a conceited decadent population that invokes selfishness and personal individual “freedom” as a right, even though it harms the rest of the community. Democratically elected governments that no longer have any control over their citizens, rioters, extremists, hooligans, influencers and internet subversion. It smells more and more of a western world like Germany in the 30s. I hope for a more democratic SE Asia, but also a kind of democracy that learns from the mistakes of the West. The mistakes that also show the weaknesses of democracy and can ultimately escalate this into, for example, civil war and ultimately cause the system to collapse. This happens again and again by manipulating and inciting more and more "dissatisfied" citizens by seasoned extremists with far-reaching conspiracy strategists. We hope for global improvement in this regard, almost against our better judgment.
janbeute,
I completely follow your reasoning.
China buys all the raw materials in all those countries, sets up factories, buys hotels, etc. more.
See how Thailand reacts to some easing, the Chinese coming first, although we all doubt the figures released from there.
Worldwide it's only about 1 thing: MONEY, and MONEY gives POWER, and with power you keep the working class under control.
Hope the rest of this region doesn't completely fall prey to the Chinese.
Jozef
And the government of Thailand said it is not their business but an internal issue for Myanmar as also Duterte of the Philippines and Hun Sen of Cambodia responded, which was to be expected.
The very existence of groups like 'rioters, extremists, hooligans, influencers, and internet subversion' that @Marc Dulle talks about shows the power of (Western) democracy. What matters is that society is able to deal with these types of groups without militaristically crushing them in advance. To say that democracy looks like something from the 8s because of the existence of these types of groups is nonsense. In an earlier response from @Jannus, he already indicated that democracy consists of a constitution, elections, the separation of powers, the occurrence of a civil society, plus the functioning of free media. But what is also part of this is the presence of a representative of the people, that citizens are equal to each other, and that freedoms and rights are and are protected. No one can argue that these 27 features do not work, for example, in the XNUMX countries of the EU, or in the UK, even in the US. The fact that the groups mentioned occasionally make a mess shows the resilience of democracy. How different things now appear to be in Myanmar, how far away Thailand is from these principles, how few intentions there are among the ASEAN countries. I don't believe that China is happy with the developments in Myanmar, as some claim. China has economic interests due to gas and oil, and only benefits from a peaceful region. They find that peace in Thailand because every call for change is suppressed, they found that peace in Myanmar, also under Aung Suu Kyi.
China has more than economic interests, namely world domination.
I'm not a fan of his at all, but Trump was the first who dared to ring the bell.
China is becoming increasingly powerful, especially militarily.
Just take a look at what is happening around the South China Sea, which can be seen on YouTube video documentaries, among others.
Jan Beute.