On the same day news spread out that Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing is set to attend the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on April 24, Simon Adams, Executive Director of Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect GCR2P tweeted “Min Aung Hlaing is responsible for crimes against humanity and he belongs in handcuffs. He should be arrested under universal jurisdiction if he leaves Myanmar”. The tweet was very well received among Myanmar public who were not initially happy with the invitation of ASEAN that many accused of paving road for the potential legitimacy status of the junta. We don’t really know if that’s something in the capacity of GCR2P to arrest the dictator once he lands on a foreign soil and although we find that unlikely at this point since it’s very early stage in the R2P process, the news will certainly make Min Aung Hlaing who has had to carry a pistol visibly even during a donation ceremony very uncomfortable.
Following the explosion that killed a terrorist in Yangon’s Yankin township yesterday, at least twenty young protesters in Yankin were abducted by junta’s forces last night. Many of those were involved with peaceful protests since the beginning but we fear junta might pin the previous explosion on those kids. News report that eight of the twenty have now been taken to Shwepyitha interrogation center. And military controlled MWD channel tonight showed pictures of six victims including two girls as those who tried to cause arson during protests but we are not certain how they have been charged yet. The picture showed that some of them especially one girl was beaten up terribly during interrogation. Many young lives have been sacrificed already in this fight and we could not lose anyone anymore so everybody must speak up before it’s too late.
More explosions and fires reported in Yangon today as South Dagon’s administrative office was burned down early this morning around 2:35am and an explosion reportedly blasted in another location in Thingangyun around 7 pm this evening. As usual, culprit is unknown. Since the beginning of Thingyan, security in Yangon have increased, terrorist soldiers are deployed in various streets and corners of the city and searching cars thoroughly although no report of any major findings have been reported yet.
According to Kachin news this morning, junta’s forces have intensified attacks on Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Brigade 5’s territory and KIA has also warned civilians that there might be air strikes by Myanmar military in the town of Laiza, the headquarter of KIA, so they should be wary of potential danger. In Putao district, junta’s forces have been reported using civilians as human shields after suffering casualties in the previous battles against with KIA.
Meanwhile, people across the country are still marching down and protesting in respective regions. Since the introduction of National Unity Government (NUG), protest slogans and posters have been modified to show the support for NUG and the condemnation towards State Administration Council (SAC). We heard terrorist soldiers were removing barriers on the streets of Mogok where they killed two protesters and wounded a few others, it will soon be followed by kidnapping and unlawful raids as the same plot was carried out in Yangon not so long ago.
As Thingyan is over, businesses tend to reopen shortly and we heard that banks such as KBZ and AYA are pressuring their staffs to go back to work or else, they will lose their jobs. Since the coup, millions of people have had to put their lives, careers, families at risk while fighting for their freedom. With the introduction of NUG, we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, we must keep resisting the way we have, no matter what it takes.
