Myanmar Spring Chronicle – December 12 Perspective
MoeMaKa, December 13, 2024
Is It Time to Call It an Irreversible Spring Revolution?
Shortly after the fall of the Syrian dictatorship, people from different border regions, displaced refugees, and Syrian citizens began returning to their homes. The mass return to their homes was emotionally significant, but the reality was stark—people had to walk the same paths of blood and tears that had forced them to leave. International media outlets broadcasted returning Syrians, including politicians and activists living abroad, coming back on crowded planes. The images told the stories of families who had lost children, spouses, siblings, uncles, and aunts by the hundreds of thousands—dead in war, imprisoned, or tortured in brutal detention centers under the fallen regime. Families, desperate to reconnect, combed through fallen prisons, detention centers, and underground facilities in search of lost loved ones. The reunions were filled with tears, anguish, and bittersweet emotions.
One mother tearfully recounted how her 17-year-old son was arrested by Assad’s forces, and for 7 years, she had heard nothing of him. Speaking to a journalist near a toppled prison, she cried that her son—and his future—had been lost. Many young people were tortured, humiliated, and killed in overcrowded detention centers. When prisons filled, regime forces resorted to executions to make space. Survivors who weren’t killed were forcibly conscripted into Assad’s army, leaving them on a one-way path from which they never returned.
Reports highlight that rebuilding Syria’s peace, unity, and economy is fraught with immense challenges under ongoing foreign interference and regional conflicts. Yet, for Syrians, their “home” and “nation” remains Syria—no matter what outsiders say or do. Their return symbolizes their determination to reclaim what is theirs: their homes, their nation, and their dignity. The Syrians are going home.
Similarly, in Myanmar, millions of citizens have fled their villages and homes over the past four years. Much like the Syrians, who endured decades of bloodshed and repression under authoritarian rule, Myanmar’s people have struggled under a 70-year civil war spanning generations. Tens of thousands have already sacrificed their lives on the “no-return” path in this long struggle.
However, the fight for freedom has never been one of retreat or defeat. Before the end of 2024, the world has witnessed yet another dictatorship fall, offering tangible proof that authoritarian regimes can be toppled. Myanmar’s people have already declared their resolve: an Irreversible Spring Revolution.
With sweat, blood, and countless sacrifices of homes, families, and lives, the people of Myanmar have risen. Even without external support, the collective voice of Myanmar’s citizens rings clear: “We have only ourselves.” Students leading resistance movements, heroes of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), Generation Z revolutionaries, ethnic resistance forces, and grassroots organizations have all contributed to this fight. Political leaders, journalists, artists, and civilians continue to rally for the absolute eradication of military dictatorship.
At a time when Syrians achieved success after over a decade of armed resistance, their victory resonates as a symbol of hope for Myanmar.
History teaches us that when dictators and tyrants fall, they collapse swiftly and decisively. Libya’s Gaddafi fell to a popular uprising, despite claims of invincibility. Likewise, the once “unshakable” Assad regime crumbled. News outlets have even referred to Assad’s final 12 days of power as his regime’s “last countdown.” Behind their fall stood unwavering Syrian revolutionaries fighting relentlessly to reclaim their homes.
For Myanmar’s generals and their privileged military class, their final days will inevitably come. While they propagate the lie that the military is the “father” and “mother” of the nation, their own demise looms near.
The people of Myanmar have already left their homes and villages to fully commit to the Spring Revolution. The belief and sacrifices made in this Irreversible Spring Revolution will only be truly honored when they, like the Syrians, can finally walk the roads of blood, sweat, and tears back to their homes—reclaimed as their own.