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News > Myanmar

Myanmar's Citizens Protest by Painting Streets Red

  • 'Blood Strike' in Hpa-an township, Karen State, Myanmar, April 6, 2021.

    'Blood Strike' in Hpa-an township, Karen State, Myanmar, April 6, 2021. | Photo: Twitter/ @bernardhibbitts

Published 6 April 2021
Opinion

The military junta keeps on imposing measures such as the killing of civilians, the detention of dissidents, and the bombing of guerrilla-controlled areas.

Myanmar's citizens on Tuesday painted roads and streets red to symbolize the blood that have been shed by 570 people killed by the military junta so far.

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So far, the dictatorship has issued some 443 arrest warrants against protesters and detained 2,728 people. Among them is comedian Zagana, who was arrested in the Tamwe district on Tuesday, as reported by Khit Thit media.

The military junta accuses pro-democracy activists of destabilizing the country through messages calling for civil disobedience and supporting the "legitimate government" established by elected lawmakers.

Despite the crackdown, protests have not stopped since the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. As a result of the disruption of activities, Myanmar is on the verge of economic collapse as its gross domestic product is expected to fall by up to 20 percent this year.

"Tensions in Burma have escalated significantly in March, with the military stepping up the use of lethal force against protesters and civilians. We believe the elevated social instability in the country will cripple all aspects of GDP," Fitch Solutions said.

Burma, one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, began a transition to democracy in 2011. Since then, it experienced an economic boom with average annual real GDP growth rates of 7 percent. This trend, however, reversed in 2020 due to the drop in exports associated with the spread of the pandemic.

The signs of the looming economic crisis do not seem to matter to the military junta. Its security forces are focused on imposing repressive measures such as the killing of civilians, the detention and torture of dissidents, the bombing of areas controlled by ethnic guerrillas, and the blocking of the Internet.

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