Yangon is not safe. Mandalay is not safe. Myitkyina is not safe. Taunggyi is not safe. Mawlamyine is not safe. Every single village, town and citiy in this country is not safe.
It has been 3 nights since the Myanmar public cannot sleep soundly at night. In past 2 nights, we have arsonists, well-poisoners and machete-wielding strangers entering the neighborhoods across the country. All addition to night time arrests towards Union Election Commission (UEC) officials, civil servants joining in civil disobedience movement (CDM), prominent politicians, artists and one astrologer who conjured against the junta. In addition to protecting the potential arrests, the public is being tasked with guarding their very homes and families themselves. It is the ultimate form of a government breaking its social contract with the public, and worse, in many places, there are evidences which point the sudden appearance of troublemakers towards the current military government in power. The military devils want us to further descend into chaos, they want us to be panic, irrational and ultimately either submit towards them or go nuts.
But do we?
The people responded by setting up emergency watchgroups and protocols on how to respond to emergency situations. Banging pots and pans are limited to 8 pm sessions alone, to avoid confusions.
Public support in labour, in cash and in kind is encouraging and overwhelming.
Starting last night, the watchgroups are spreaded out to cover entire streets. They are equipped less with sticks, more with whistles, megaphones and both electronic and non-electronic communication tools to ensure proper communication between watchgroups, stations and the entire neighbourhood.
Strict protocols are set up to ensure no reckless activity either during pursuit or after capturing thugs. These almost always end with handing over the culprit to the police. Although polices are their handlers, the public do not want to unlawfully detain anyone.
In this dark days for the country, we the citizens strive to be part of the solution and not the problems. We demand the military to recognize the 2020 General Election results and relinquish all the power they have unlawfully seized and peacefully transfer back to the elected officials. Before then, we will not be broken. You want us to descend into chaos, we will be calm; you want us to cave in to your authoritarianism, we will become more resilience.
We will not be broken.
