Participants pleased with silent strike marking anniversary of Myanmar coup

By DMG 01 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
1 February 2022, Yangon 

Marking the one-year anniversary of Myanmar’s coup on February 1, a “silent strike” observed by millions of people across the country is being called a success by participants. 

The silent strike took place Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. across Myanmar, with people staying home from work and shops remaining shuttered for the day in protest of the military takeover. 

“More than 90% of people participated in the silent strike,” said Ko Myo, a young politician. “It is similar to the situation of the strike in December. So, we can say the silent strike is successful.” 

The last nationwide silent strike in protest of the military regime was held on December 10, coinciding with World Human Rights Day. 

Ahead of Tuesday’s protest strike, members of the junta distributed leaflets warning people in some Arakan State townships to refrain from participating in such activities. 

The leaflets warned that those involved in anti-coup activities would be prosecuted under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law, and Sections 124(a) and 505 of the Penal Code. 

On Monday, military veterans and their family members held pro-Tatmadaw rallies in several Arakan State townships, though critics said the street demonstrations on the eve of the coup’s anniversary were not reflective of broader regional sentiment. 

Some pro-military rallies elsewhere in Myanmar were also reported on Tuesday. 

“The regime council is defeated. So, the pro-military rallies are held as a counterattack because they cannot admit defeat,” said Ko Ye, a member of the Committee for Student Union. 

The civilian death toll attributed to the military coup stood at 1,503 on Monday, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said in a January 31 statement. At least 8,835 people remained detained since the coup, of which 661 have been sentenced to prison time and 45 sentenced to death, according to AAPP.