This morning we all woke up to news of our Miss Universe Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin winning the national costume on the grand stage of Miss Universe competition. This is the second time Myanmar has won the national costume contest at Miss Universe, but this time, the winning Chin traditional costume donned by Thuzar with a message asking the world to “Pray for Myanmar” is a heartfelt tribute to all the brave heroes and unshakeable residents of Mindat in Chin State who have been defying the ruthless control of Myanmar military in the past couple of days.
It is starting to sound like a broken record, but honestly, another day under the control of Myanmar military council means another day filled with violence and people fearing for their safety, security and livelihoods. Bombs continued to go off from every direction. Fire erupting across the cities and towns. Civil wars also continued to rage on between the ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military lackeys.
But protests across the nation also continued on even after 100 days. Today, we saw protests continuing strong in at least eight states and regions in Myanmar. Like most days, Hpakant and Moegaung townships in Kachin State come out to show their support for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and to protest against the military regime. People in Sagaing showed their disdain for the education system under the military control with teachers and students from Depayin taking to the streets for morning march and the youths from Pale township demonstrating how the life of teachers and students being forced to go back to school at a gunpoint. In other regions, Mandalay Engineers Group and others in motorcycles marched the streets in support of the revolution heroes from Chin State and many villages in Myaing township of Magway Region staged together a sit-in protest to show that people refuse to surrender. In Dawei, the military terrorist crackdown on a peaceful march by ramming with a car, and around 7 protesters were arrested with one injured by a rubber bullet.
Terrorist attacks on Mindat also continued on today. A child was reported to have been shot in the neck and shoulder when the uniformed terrorists fired randomly into homes in Mindat. The report said there haven’t been any resistance going on today, but only the act of terrorism by the Myanmar military. Chinland Defence Force (CDF) Mindat has deliberately left the premises of the town to protect the innocent residents. Than Lwin Khet News reported a few hours ago that humanitarian assistance is greatly needed in Mindat right now due to 90% of the residents being displaced in the jungle and fleeing from their homes.
Another alarming report comes from another town in Chin State as well. We saw a report this morning that military helicopters were seen flying overhead frequently in Kanpetlet, and locals saw about 100 military terrorists arriving by helicopter since yesterday.
As long as the military is in control of Myanmar, it is incredibly sad that this is the kind of news that we will have to report on a daily basis, and many innocent lives are being affected as a collateral damage of the revolution.
KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu told DVB News today that as long as the military is in charge, normal everyday citizens will start to pick up weapons to defend themselves. He is definitely not wrong. With everything going on in Myanmar right now, many people are frustrated, and resistances are starting to form and emerge from everywhere to defend ourselves against the injustice that many of us are being subjected to every single day.
The UN General Assembly is “considering” to call for an arms embargo on the Myanmar military as of this moment. Apparently, the draft has been under negotiation for weeks, and is co-sponsored by 48 countries with South Korea being the only Asian country within them. We know by now not to get our hopes up when it comes to initiatives from the international community. But for the sake of many innocent residents of Mindat and many other locations in Myanmar who are being put through hell at the arms of the military, we hope this initiative is something fruitful.
