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Myanmar Residents, Expats Voice Dismay Over Coup

Hugh Bohane

   "It was my birthday on Monday [February 1] and my partner woke me up
   and said Suu Kyi has been detained, the military has taken over, and
   the first thing I did was cry," said Shona Cannon, a British national
   who has been teaching in Yangon for nearly two years.

   Early Monday, Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, many of her
   cabinet members, student leaders, monks, bloggers, writers and
   dissidents were detained by the country's military leaders following
   allegations of fraud in the November election, won by the ruling
   National League for Democracy (NLD) -- a result the military does not
   accept.

   A number of expatriates and locals living in Yangon have spoken to VOA
   about their reaction to the coup. Some have used pseudonyms for fear of
   retaliation by the government.

   "It still hasn't sunk in what has happened. I feel I can say that I
   know the people here. I have a lot of Burmese friends and I'm
   heartbroken for them," said Cannon.

   She said all her local friends support Suu Kyi's NLD, and that she had
   witnessed people campaigning tirelessly to ensure the party's victory
   last year.

   "A lot of my students are all taking part in the civil disobedience
   movement," she said, referring to a pro-democracy campaign involving
   socially distanced demonstrations, strikes and boycotts in response to
   the coup.

   "I've got students that are doctors, nurses and engineers," she said.
   "You know, we are hearing the pots and pans at night; everyone feels
   shattered from it. They are all broken."

   New tactics

   Dissidents and activists started the disobedience movement as a way for
   citizens to voice their rejection of the military takeover.

   Spurred on by medical workers striking to protest the coup and urging
   NLD supporters to do the same, the campaign is a new form of political
   activism for the country. Instead of protesting in large crowds on the
   street -- a response to previous coups that almost always ended in
   bloodshed -- people are abiding by COVID-19 safety measures by staying
   at home, campaigning on social media and banging pots and pans in their
   own neighborhoods.

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