Streets in Myanmar were largely empty today as people across the country took part in a mass “Silent Strike” to protest the one-year anniversary of the military coup on Tuesday, despite a week of junta threats and arrests of organizers.
Public areas around the country were noticeably barren beginning around 9 a.m., except for occasional groups of young people holding flash protests. In the lead up to the anniversary of the Feb. 1, 2021, coup, authorities had warned of tough punishments — including life in prison — for anyone found applauding, honking or otherwise expressing support for the strike.
Tuesday marked the third Silent Strike since the military seized power, the others coming in March in the immediate aftermath of the putsch and in December on International Human Rights Day. In the past year, security forces have arrested nearly 8,900 civilians and killed more than 1,500 — mostly during nonviolent anti-junta protests, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
A housewife in Yangon region’s Kyi Myin Daing township told RFA’s Myanmar Service that shops stayed open on Tuesday, but shoppers and pedestrians were nowhere to be seen in the city of more than 5 million people.
“During the first Silent Strike, the streets were empty, and all the shops were closed. But this time, the authorities pressured the shop owners to remain open — they were asked to sign pledges that they would do so,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
“I was at the market this morning and only saw two or three people there. After 9 a.m., the streets were empty. I saw the shops and vendors opened as usual. But I didn’t go out after that.”
Similarly, shops were open in Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay, while the main roads remained largely devoid of people, sources said.
Thura Aung, a Mandalay-based organizer, said his group Mandalay Forces for Strikes began staging a protest early on Tuesday morning.
“It has been a year. The military council has not gained the control of the country. The power is still in the hands of the people. Law and order are still in the hands of the people,” he said.
“We want to show that we can protest and be silent if we want to in our city. We came out to show that we have not given up on the revolution even after one year.”
While protests in Mandalay were largely silent, a 40-year-old man named Aung Aung staged a self-immolation in opposition to military rule in the region’s Kyauk Pan Daung township around noon and later died from his injuries, sources said. Aung Aung, who specifically expressed opposition to government management of electricity amid frequent outages around the nation, was survived by his wife and two children.
Junta counter-protests
In the capital Naypyidaw, sources told RFA that most residents stayed home, although some small parades took place showing support for the junta.
“Most people didn’t go out, but the shops were open. Some of the owners were pressured by the authorities. They ordered them to open their shops,” said one resident, who declined to be named.
“Most people going out today are supporters of the [junta]. I saw a group of people holding flags and signs showing support for the military marching this morning.”
Government employees in Naypyidaw said junta ministries issued a directive shortening work hours on Tuesday to between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., suggesting that they may have been pressured to take part in displays of loyalty to the military.
Similar counter-protests in support of the junta were reported in other townships around the country.
Leo, an organizer with the General Strike Committee in Yangon, told RFA that support for resistance to the junta remains strong, despite the difficulties of the past year under military rule.
“On this day that marks the one-year anniversary, we are organizing many forms of protests to keep up the momentum of support for a popular revolt,” he said. “The strikes will continue.”
RFA received reports that at least 70 shop owners in Yangon, Mandalay, Naypyidaw and other cities were arrested in the week leading up to Tuesday after they announced that their businesses would be closed on Feb. 1 to show support for the Silent Strike.
Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.