Myanmar Situation Military-Citizen Conflict April 14, 14:22
I would like to tell you about "that country," which is frequently in the news.
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It's a problem right away.
Problem
In November 2015, the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the first general election in Southeast Asian countries since the transition to civilian rule in 2011, 2016. It is expected that a new administration will be inaugurated in March.
Select this country name from the following a to d and answer with a symbol.
A. Thailand
b. Myanmar
c. Malaysia
d. Indonesia
(La Salle Secondary School 2016)
The answer is "I. Myanmar".
Myanmar has been working on democratization, but in February 2021, a military coup d'etat occurred.
Citizens' protests have been held in various parts of the country, and the military continues to crack down on them.
Democratization and coup
Suu Kyi
"Let's build a democracy with confidence"
Since 2011, Myanmar has been working on democratization, and the NLD = National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has expanded its support.
However, it's been about two months since the coup d'etat.
The conflict between the military and civilians is becoming more serious.
We asked Associate Professor Yoshihiro Nakanishi of Kyoto University, who is familiar with Myanmar politics, about the current situation in Myanmar and the background of the worsening situation.
How does Mr. Nakanishi perceive this situation now?
Mr. Nakanishi:
"I think it
's a
very painful situation. The result is a coup d'etat where you don't know who will get it. It feels like the hands of the clock have returned 10 years before the transition to civilian rule. "
In the 2020 general election, NLD led by Suu Kyi won an overwhelming victory.
The military claimed that the election was flawed or fraudulent and caused a coup.
I think that the fact that NLD won overwhelmingly is also the voice of the people.
Mr. Nakanishi:
"I don't think the military is necessarily the voice of the whole nation. From the military's point of view, the fact that a political party with a very charismatic leader like Mr. Suu Kyi wins is her. It seems that the mechanism for the people around us to benefit is democracy. "
The enemy of the army is in the country ...
What was shocking this time was that the military and police were cracking down on civilians.
To date, more than 700 people have been killed (as of April 12, 2021), according to local human rights groups.
Why can the army attack so far when the opponent is a nation?
Mr. Nakanishi
"I'm a nation, but from the military's point of view, they look like people who are hostile to them."
What does it mean that the people look like enemies?
Myanmar is a multi-ethnic country with more than 130 ethnic groups.
Since independence in 1948, battles have continued in various parts of the country between the military and armed groups of minorities.
Mr. Nakanishi
"The army we imagine is the people who protect the country against invasion from overseas, but in Myanmar, the army has always been fighting domestic enemies in order to avoid domestic division. Even unarmed citizens, recognizing that they are an enemy and a threat to the army, are putting out a very strong crackdown as if it were a military operation. "
Wide range of demonstrators
In this protest demonstration, young people use SNS etc. and become the center of their activities.
Mr. Nakanishi
"The younger generation has been the most beneficiary of Myanmar's democratization and liberalization over the last 10 years since childhood. Without it, I don't want to spend a second, and I'm resisting with such a strong feeling, which is a feature of this time. "
Furthermore, it is said that the opposition to the military is spreading to a wide range of people, including civil servants, office workers, and people in rural areas as well as in urban areas.
Mr. Nakanishi:
"For the last 10 years, I think that many citizens of Myanmar recognize that the society has become better than it was during the military government."
How do you perceive criticism of the military?
The military has been criticized by the United States and the EU, and the United Nations Security Council has also strongly condemned military violence.
However, the situation has not been resolved.
Mr. Nakanishi:
"The military feels that the criticism from the international community is the criticism of people who do not understand the domestic situation in Myanmar, so it is rather repulsive and more believe in their correctness. There is a possibility. As a military spokesman said at a press conference, the people who oppose in Myanmar now are 15% to 20% of the people, according to the military estimate. From the perspective, some people do not realize that there are so many, and feel that they have a cause. "
Mr. Nakanishi says that the outlook for the future is likely to be quite pessimistic.
Mr. Nakanishi
"Government continues with a big gap between what the army wants to do and what the citizens want. As far as we can see that unstable governance continues, there is an atmosphere that seems to be the case."
With criticism from the international community not being heard, the situation is uncertain.
Nevertheless, Mr. Nakanishi said that both the Japanese government and the international community need to make repeated efforts.
And each of us says that there are various ways to support the citizens of Myanmar through the Internet and other means.
He said that it is important to listen to the information that Myanmar people send out with all their might and to explore the form of contribution to their own current situation.
In "Migake, Curiosity!" Of "Weekly Maru-Knowledge News" (broadcast at 9:00 am on Saturday), we will delve into the news every week on the subject of current affairs presented in the entrance examination.
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https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/maruwaka-migake/