World has failed Myanmar’s people

Two years after the Myanmar military staged a coup to oust the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, the situation in the country is alarming. Determined to stamp out the resistance to its rule, the military has used extreme force, including aerial bombing and artillery shelling of civilian areas. Hundreds of political leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are in jail, convicted and sentenced on absurd and trumped-up charges. Meanwhile, the armed resistance to the junta has intensified. The junta is said to be in full control of just 17% of Myanmar’s territory, with control over the rest either contested, or in the hands of the armed opposition. Clearly, the Generals have not been able to establish firm control over the country. Hoping to give their illegitimate rule a measure of legitimacy, army chief and junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing promised elections by August, which in all likelihood would have been rigged to deliver victory to the military-backed party. However, their plans appear to have run into trouble. At a recent meeting, officials reportedly expressed their inability to hold elections in large parts of the country, given the dire security situation. On the coup’s second anniversary on February 1, Gen. Hlaing announced the extension of the emergency for another six months – an acknowledgement of the worsening crisis. It does seem that plans for elections have been put aside.

As distressing as the Myanmar military’s brutal rule is the abject failure of the international community to do right by Myanmar’s people. The latter are fighting a valiant battle against the junta. Meanwhile, the ASEAN wrings its hands in a show of helplessness; its Five-Point Consensus has had no impact on the junta, and it has yet to summon the will to act together. Some countries like Russia, China and India are doing business with the Generals, even providing them military support that is being used to crush the resistance. As for western countries, who have been vocal in their criticism of the junta, their support for the pro-democracy movement has been at best half-hearted. While they have imposed sanctions on some Generals and their businesses, companies with ties to western interests have escaped sanctions.

The US’ recent incorporation of the Burma Act in the 2023 National Defence Authorisation Act has raised hope that more substantial support for the Myanmar resistance may be forthcoming from Washington. While this has the potential to tilt the balance against the junta, things could go horribly wrong. For one, the resistance is hardly a unified force. Moreover, countries like Russia and China could step up support for the military. Two years after the military coup, the situation in Myanmar is spiralling out of control.