today is the one-year anniversary of the #MyanmarCoup.
on the morning of 1 February 2021, a Monday, the day before Parliament was due to swear in the democratically elected winners of the 2020 election, Myanmar's military the Tatmadaw declared the results of this landslide election invalid, proclaimed a year-long state of emergency (since extended for two years), and transferred all power to murderer-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.
a year later, things are getting worse. at least 1,500 people have been murdered and thousands arrested, including Money Has Four Legs film producer Ma Aeint. a cybersecurity law is taking effect soon, inevitably taking "complete control of electronic communications, data protection and VPN services in the country, posing grave risks to citizens."
we in $ingapore can do a lot. if you can afford it, donate to the multiple relief and support efforts listed here: isupportmyanmar.com. i personally chipped in to The Kite Tales Myanmar's initiative: gofundme.com/f/help-myanmars-storytellers. if you can't, consider boycotting the silent $ingapore brands (fuk these boomerz heartlander shit anyway) that are part of how $ingapore is Myanmar's biggest investor, still. advocate – write to your MP and annoy the heck out of their conscienceless multimillionaire offices (i think mine has blocked me alr lol): here is a template. stay informed, i dig Frontier Myanmar. reach out to your Burmese friends, read Burmese poetry, watch Burmese films, talk, share, resist.
the military controlled myanmar for 49 years, from 1962 to 2011. though they have resumed control, i'm hopeful that like how one of last year's illegal protests went, if we together keep clapping in the dark and banging pots – traditionally believed to drive out evil spirits – dictatorships will fall, again.
FOTO: Women carry pots with flowers as they take part in a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar April 13, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
