The shutdown of wireless broadband has tremendously affected the information flow, but it doesn’t slow down the momentum of our revolution. With or without internet, anti-coup protests all over the country take place every day to reject the terrorist army.
In Yangon, small protest groups were out in the streets of Sanchaung, Insein, and Tharketa townships. A rally in Mandalay boasted over 1,000 protesters including monks and students in today’s protest in Amarapura township which later turned into a battlefield due to dreadful crackdown by junta’s forces. Similarly, marching protesters in Monywa encourtered the brutal attack, resulted in 2 deaths verified by Myanmar Now news but more casualties expected. In Thaton township, Mon State, one protester was shot in the chest and died, and at least 6 protesters were abducted too. In Kalay township, Sagain region, the junta’s forces still did not get a chance to crack down the main protest camp because villagers on the way attacked the junta’s forces with makeshift weapons whenever they headed over to the main protest camp.
Some so-called critics discussed how the country was on the verge of civil war but more-than-60-decade-long civil war never ended. Despite one-sided ceasefire agreement not so long ago, the terrorist army accelerated its attacks on Karen National Union (KNU) in Thaton District, using heavy artillery and airstrikes, resulting in the casualties among civilians. More than 12,000 civilians have fled their homes due to the military’s attacks, causing a major humanitarian crisis. Up north, Kachin Independence Army (KIA) announced they would welcome soldiers from the junta’s military who wished to leave the monstrous army, to weaken the institution. At this point, one fewer solider on the side of the junta means one step further to our victory.
The rumour has it the last remaining fibre internet will be cut in the coming Thingyan holidays (Myanmar New Year holidays and Water Festival). The complete internet shutdown is a double edged sword because it will disrupt both communications among the public and banking systems. But it should be expected and we should be prepared because the desperate junta would do anything to stop the resistance. When the time comes, we may not be trending on Twitter but we will still be resisting the junta in any way we can.
On the front of parallel government, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) promised to form the National Unity Government in the first week of April. People are patiently waiting for new announcements from them but it hasn’t come soon enough. Time is dragging and the death toll is only increasing. The danger of military informants is so extreme that many frontline protesters are abducted at night.
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners report that over 550 people have been killed and nearly 3000 people are in arbitrary detention. We remember the last Facebook post of our fallen comrade Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing. It read “how many dead bodies needed for UN to take action?” It has been over 550 dead bodies and the UN’s R2P hasn’t come. Now we long for the federal union army.
