Myanmar Spring Chronicle – January 17 Scenes
MoeMaKa, January 18, 2022
Civilians shot dead; Election-related arrests
The daily news is primarily concerned with the deaths of civilians at the hands of the military council, but there are also reports about the killings of ward administrators, village administrators, 100-house heads, 10-house heads, military council’s civilian staff members engaged in the election’s ground count, and some charity workers who were recruited under pressure by the military council.
Since the military coup, the number of civilians who have lost their lives at the hands of military council troops has reached more than 2,600, according to the figures collected and recorded by AAPP. On the other hand, the number of those from the junta side who were killed is more than 3,000, including those who were involved in the ward or village administration, those accused of Dalan, government staff who did not participate in CDM, those who are members of USDP, those being accused of Pyu Saw Htee, those suspected of being supporters of the military council, and Buddhist monks who were believed to have been involved in the formation of Pyu Saw Htee.
If we add up the 2 lists collected by both sides, it is assumed that at least 5 thousand civilians have been killed.
As you can see, the distinction between civilians and armed members is still unclear in the shootings and killings due to suspicion and security needs. The military council did not investigate and punish any illegal killings by junta soldiers after the military coup and no action has been taken against those responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people during the interrogation, so it can be assumed that the military council allowed these incidents with the intention of instilling fear.
The number of killings of Dalan that occurred based on the idea that the armed groups who took security were killing for self-defense has also increased from hundreds to thousands over time.
From the point of view of human rights standards, there is no acceptable reason for killing civilians for any reason. The incidents of being shot, killed, and tortured to death for giving information or supporting the armed group will leave a stain in Myanmar’s history. Not just one person, but as the number grows from hundreds to thousands, the burden of responsibility grows. It’s not just about being responsible for an incident, but it’s about to become a situation that is responsible in terms of policy.
When I read the today news, there was news that one of two girls were killed in a shooting by the military council troops returning from marching in Mindat Township and the news of shooting the former and current village administrators by an armed group assumed to be PDF in Htantabin Township, Bago Division, killing those two and a child.
Another piece of news for today is the news that the Myaung Township People’s Defense Force arrested 4 administrative staff who took the census on the ground for the election. In preventing the election from being held by the anti-dictator forces, this arrest is said to be the first incident preventing election-related activities.
I also noticed that the strategies to prevent the election and make it unsuccessful differ from one region to another in Myanmar. As of now, there may still be no clear consensus on how to deal with those involved in the military council’s election enumeration among the PDF groups and the ethnic armed groups.