Myanmar Spring Chronicle – December 12 Scenes
MoeMaKa, December 13 2022
The danger of being accused and killed; The plight of refugees; The plight of those who are afraid of crime; Hardship in livelihoods
Under the consequences of the military coup, the intensification of the political and military struggle, the killing of the leaders of the military council who will hold on to power, the arson of the houses, the arrests and illegal trials, and the deteriorating law and order in the cities and villages, there is concern that people will be robbed or killed for the sake of robbing. Those who must earn a living day by day with no financial support, as well as wage laborers in the agricultural sector, live in hardship, worrying about finding a job, earning an income, not going starving, and having a place to live.
Among those fighting in armed groups, some are fighting for their political beliefs, and for some salaried members of armed groups, they are fighting for their livelihood. They are trying to be cautious to take the upper hand to fight and win at any time so as not to get attacked by other armed groups. For them, the deaths will be due to getting injured and killed in the battles or killed after being arrested.
As for civilians, they are living in a situation where they have to be careful every day because they may face the possibility of being arrested or killed by the opposing group on the accusation of supporting the armed forces.
The military council has been accusing and killing residents, including young, middle-aged, and elderly people, from the villages under suspicion of supporting the PDF forces, and once the junta troops have arrived, they can’t even take their belongings from their homes and run away with only a single piece of clothing. It has become the life of people living in the armed conflict area of Myanmar.
It is reported every day in the news that how many war refugees has increased in Sagaing, as well as the increasing number of war refugees in Magway, Kachin State, Northern Shan State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Division. Because the news is frequently read almost daily, it has become the news with only a change in numbers, and it is not strange anymore. In fact, just thinking about the sufferings of individuals and families from those hundreds or thousands of news events makes me realize how painful their lives are, as well as the loss of loved ones and dependent family members that cannot be replaced. Because it is in the news every day, they are concluding that there are too many or too few casualties only by looking at the numbers rather than the feelings, but in reality, even an incident where an innocent family member or a person is killed with accusations and their house is set on fire is enough to demand justice.
It is said to be not so bad in cities when comparing the killings, arson attacks, and robberies in the areas where the PDFs are active in this armed struggle. But the incidents of killings for robbing, theft, burglary, shootings and arrests on suspicion that are happening in villages are also taking place in big cities and small towns.
All kinds of crimes are happening every day, from news of robberies in Yangon and Mandalay, incidents where people were killed for robbing their motorcycle and phone, and the incidents of killing an elderly couple after breaking into their home to rob their properties, to the incident of robbing trucks at the entrance of Yangon.
Most people believe that the military council is neglecting crimes and is only monitoring and suppressing the political opposition movements to maintain political power. Moreover, people who have been convicted of crimes are being pardoned once every 6 to 8 months at the longest, which is enough to think that they are deliberately pardoning those convicted of crimes.
While robberies and burglaries are taking place even in broad daylight in Yangon and Mandalay cities, it is becoming difficult to get a job for earning a living and the incomes are decreasing. The plight of manual laborers, who are suffering from rising commodity prices and decreasing income, is bad enough to be considered the plight of the survivors. Even though they are alive, they are struggling hard for their livelihood amidst the high commodity prices that are almost drowning them.
Due to the impact of the decline in investment and the scarcity of job opportunities as a consequence of the military coup, the income of factory laborers has not increased from the minimum wage of 4,800 per day. Before the military coup, it was about 1,500 kyats per dollar, but now it is around 2,900 kyats per dollar. Thus, inflation is twice as high, but laborers’ basic wages have not increased.
After the military coup, labor rights demands were regarded as linked with political activities, and so, labor activists were arrested and licenses for labor unions were revoked. Labor unions have been gradually decreasing, and labor rights demands are weakened. It has reached a situation where they have to work for whatever wages they can get.
All in all, the daily news and events are becoming like a compilation of the various problems that people are facing. It can only be said that the hope of escaping these troubles is still dim at the moment.