Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 09 Scenes
MoeMaKa, April 10 2023
Attacks on Thingyan pavilions & places where civilians may be affected should be targeted or not
Why is the military council making the traditional Thingyan Festival, which is held every year, so crowded? Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Thingyan festival has been regarded as an infectious source and a political issue. People are urged not to participate in Thingyan celebrations, or in other words, to go on strike, and now it is reaching the 3rd year of no celebration nationwide.
In 2020, it was not held because of the epidemic, not because of politics. In 2021 and 2022, after the military coup, there are urging people not to celebrate the Thingyan festival organized by the military council to show political boycott and opposition.
This method shows that the people living under the rule of the military council do not support or oppose the military council in a quiet and non-violent way.
Just like the silent strikes, by not celebrating the Thingyan festival, they show how strong their opposition to the military council is.
In this way, it is also a platform to show how strong the public force is against the military council to keep the public morale high.
However, starting last year, there were some threats to explode Thingyan pavilions, and similar threats are being made this year as well. The question arises as to whether threats or attacks should be made to target places where civilians are gathered or places that are not related to the military.
The Thingyan Festival has become a festival that has been used politically rather than a political event. The military council uses the traditional festival to gain political advantage, and they definitely want to spread propaganda to show that the public is no longer interested in politics.
However, I think it shouldn’t conduct an attack after assuming those who are celebrating the Thingyan festival are full supporters of the military council politically, and considering them as targets for explosions.
It is a place where civilians are gathered, and bombing such a festival or civilian target place can be considered a terrorist attack, not a military method.
These days, some urban guerrilla groups are also urging people not to go to and stay away from the pavilions sponsored by the military council. There are also warnings in the news not to go to places like military council’s township pavilions.
It is true that we must work against the political exploitation of Thingyan by the military council, but it is also necessary for our revolutionary forces to act according to their own standards.
The NUG government probably already has policies regarding such civilian targets during the spring revolution. I think it’s important to encourage organizations and guerrilla groups involved in the revolution to follow the established policy. I think it is important for the Spring Revolution to be a revolution that respects human rights by following international laws, standards, regulations, etc. through policy and practice.
In such a situation, instead of supporting and celebrating the Thingyan military council, the ground strike forces have come out with the exhortation, “Reject the military and coup, revolutionary Thingyan is the people’s voice”. During the Thingyan period, the General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) has issued a statement urging the general public to refrain from junta products regardless of what they do. It cannot be denied that in every landscape of Myanmar, political measurements and positions are already present on every side. The question is how they organize and connect the public in terms of leadership and ideology.