Interview

“Burma is the most dangerous place in the world for doctors”

A protester confronts law enforcement while holding a sign that reads "End of military coup", in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, February 18, 2021. © Reuters

Text by: Heike Schmidt Follow

4 mins

"Burma is facing unimaginable repression," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

Since the military putsch on February 1, 2021, the country has been plunged into chaos, with more than 3,000 dead and at least 16,000 people imprisoned for resisting the junta.

Doctor Lwan Wai (a code name he gave himself for security reasons) is among those who have joined the ranks of the civil disobedience movement.

Advertising

Read more

RFI: You founded the "

 - a network that brings together more than

Doctor Lwan Wai:

 Sure.

What the fascist junta hates the most is the civil disobedience movement.

Because it is this movement that prevents it from gaining the legitimacy it needs.

That's why the military hates us.

They don't just hate health professionals, but also teachers or engineers, they hate all resistance fighters.

Moreover, in the health sector, the management of the junta is a total failure.

We doctors engaged in civil disobedience are trying to fill the void left by the junta.

In fact, the army has nothing to do with the health of the Burmese.

The soldiers are too busy arresting people, beating them brutally and killing them illegally.

In a village, an activist from the disobedience movement had his throat cut by soldiers,

who then exposed his skull at the entrance to this same village.

Yes, indeed, we live in fear, depression and sadness.

This is the situation in Burma today.

We will live in fear until the day we win our fight. 

The junta is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least

Doctor Lwan Wai: 

Even my family does not know where I am now, for security reasons.

I live in hiding, and the military will not be able to get their hands on me.

In January 2022, I had to give up everything to take shelter so that I could continue my fight against the junta.

In order not to endanger my family and my friends as well as myself, I had to flee.  

Two years after the putsch and the coming to power of the military junta, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, speaks of a “catastrophic situation”.

What about hospitals across the country?  

Doctor Lwan Wai: 

Even before the 2021 putsch, Burma was among the three ASEAN countries with the worst health system.

Of course, that hasn't changed for the better.

Today, under the junta, Burma is the most dangerous place in the world for health workers.

Everyone is in danger.

As long as the junta remains in power, there will be no justice, no rights and no peace in Burma.  

The army had threatened to close clinics run by doctors who support the resistance.

Did the junta carry out this threat

Doctor Lwan Wai 

: It's a shame, but indeed, unfortunately, it happened.

First in the city of Mandalay, the military prevented medical personnel from taking care of people who arrived at hospitals with injuries, because they could be demonstrators.

If they learned that the doctors of a private clinic were engaged in the resistance, the army would immediately close that clinic and arrest the owner.

Some were beaten to death during their interrogations.

It happened in Mandalay, and then also in Rangoon.

Then wherever the army controlled the terrain.

Thousands of patients cannot be taken care of and receive no care.

Even government hospitals are abandoned because the junta provides them with nothing.

The health system has completely collapsed since instability reigns in the country.

In two years, the health system has been destroyed.  

"One vote, one fight" - under this slogan, you call on all Burmese to stay either at their place of work or at home this February 1, the streets should be deserted.

Are you organizing this "silent strike" to show that the civil disobedience movement is not dead?  

Doctor Lwan Wai: 

Yes, we call on all Burmese to join our silent strike to mark the 2nd anniversary of the junta's takeover.

We are a coalition formed by more than 39 trade union organizations which are present throughout the country.

We hope that everyone will participate, in rural areas as well as in urban areas.

The mobilization must be massive.

This silent strike takes place between 10 am and 3 pm.

We must demonstrate to the international community that the Burmese do not want to be ruled by a fascist junta and that it must go.  

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Burma