Myanmar’s Junta Seems Serious About Executing Leading Activists. Can We Stop It?

By Naing Khit 8 June 2022

Is Myanmar’s junta actually so cruel that it could execute main pro-democracy activists Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, because it has decreed? And what is going to occur if it does?

For many individuals—be they members of pro-democracy teams, the numerous younger resistance fighters throughout the nation, or most of the people, who already hate the ruling generals for the atrocities they’ve dedicated, and for his or her sheer barbarity—the execution of the 2 public figures would really feel as if their hearts have been being ripped out of their chests.

That ache could be unforgivable.

Ko Jimmy, a number one activist for the reason that 1988 fashionable rebellion, and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, a hip-hop pioneer turned MP of the Nationwide League for Democracy, are expensive to many individuals and are regarded by the general public as symbols of the continued anti-regime resistance.

Hanging them would definitely escalate the continued fashionable resistance towards the junta and produce about all-out warfare.

Nonetheless, we have to talk about first whether or not the junta is basically critical about executing these two main activists and two different anti-coup protesters.

Some individuals are satisfied the junta is bluffing, and easily desires to present anti-regime forces a scare. Some others, together with veteran pro-democracy activists and politicians, don’t imagine the junta would undergo with executing political prisoners—a step not taken by earlier army regimes over the previous 4 many years. Some reject the chance as a result of such a transfer would yield no political profit for the ruling junta. Some speculate that the junta is utilizing the execution order to achieve leverage with the worldwide neighborhood, which doesn’t acknowledge it as a authentic authorities and has focused it with sanctions and different punitive measures.

It appears to me, nevertheless, that the junta is critical about executing the 2. I say this with a really heavy coronary heart—I do know each Ko Jimmy and Ko Zeya Thaw, and so they know me nicely, too.

By the point junta spokesman Main Normal Zaw Min Tun disclosed final Friday that the junta had accredited their demise sentences, all the two condemned males’s appeals towards their demise sentences had already been rejected. They might be hanged quickly based on jail procedures, the spokesperson added.

Of their enchantment processes, Min Aung Hlaing, as chief of the junta, was their final recourse. It was he who rejected their remaining appeals; he was the one who gave the ultimate order to hold out the executions.

So far as I do know, no political prisoners who obtained demise sentences below the earlier regime after the nationwide anti-regime rebellion in 1988 have been required to go all over that enchantment course of. That gives a transparent indication that the regime by no means actually supposed to execute them, regardless of handing down demise sentences to political prisoners, a few of whom had even taken up arms towards the junta and sought to assassinate the highest ruling generals. Although the regime incarcerated hundreds of political prisoners, not one was hanged in 1988 or within the following many years.

The present regime contains most of the identical characters as its predecessor, however the junta led by coup maker Min Aung Hlaing is much more ruthless and even much less rational. Min Aung Hlaing himself appears extra motivated by private emotions and extra vengeful.

We’re reminded each day that his regime is prepared to go to new extremes, partaking in atrocities together with killings, torturing activists and politicians to demise inside hours of their arrest, kidnapping as hostages the members of the family of wished anti-regime protesters, scorching cities and villages whose residents oppose the junta, and so forth.

In brief, his regime has been waging warfare towards its personal civilian inhabitants for the reason that coup.

In response, the regime has confronted unprecedented resistance from the general public and anti-regime forces throughout the nation. Greater than a year-and-a-half for the reason that February 2021 coup his regime nonetheless has not been capable of carry the nation below its management. No nation has formally acknowledged the regime as a authentic authorities. In the meantime, the parallel Nationwide Unity Authorities shaped by elected lawmakers and their allies has gained worldwide help, both instantly or not directly.

And the coup Min Aung Hlaing wrongly thought would go easily has agitated the inhabitants to revolt. In response to the regime’s brutal suppression, what started as peaceable anti-coup protests have reworked right into a radical revolution throughout the nation. His coup has prompted tens of hundreds of younger folks to kind their very own armies, collectively often known as the Individuals’s Protection Power (PDF), to struggle his troops.

The tried takeover has devolved into an embarrassing debacle for army chief Min Aung Hlaing; given what we all know of his persona, this would appear adequate motivation for him to order the executions of Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw.

Little doubt, the 2 males have been personally chosen by Min Aung Hlaing and his regime from among the many dozens of prisoners who’ve been sentenced to demise; in what’s clearly a calculated selection, they’ve been chosen as the primary to die.

It’s an act of reprisal—a reprisal towards all of the pro-democracy teams, resistance forces and ethnic armed teams which have supported the newly shaped PDFs, and towards a lot of the worldwide neighborhood, which has refused to acknowledge his regime as a authentic authorities.

Min Aung Hlaing’s merciless act of reprisal doubtless has the next objectives:

1. To place concern into the anti-regime forces which can be preventing the junta’s troops in lots of areas and assassinating the junta’s associates in city areas; and to terrify most of the people.
2. To demoralize the neighborhood of pro-democracy activists, lots of whom personally know or in any other case have nice respect for Jimmy and Zeya Thaw, in addition to all politicians and political teams which can be towards his regime together with the Nationwide Unity Authorities (NUG), its allies and supporters.
3. To ship a warning to the worldwide neighborhood, significantly international locations like the USA and a few others which have been supporting anti-regime teams together with the NUG.

He’ll fail in these objectives. As an irrational basic with an evil thoughts, nevertheless, he’s incapable of greedy what kind of reactions his regime will truly face if it carries out these executions.

The response could be all-out warfare from all of his opponents, in addition to most of the people. The present resistance being waged by PDFs and a few EAOs throughout the nation and the guerilla-style assaults in city areas will dramatically escalate.

Myanmar Protection Power (Sagaing), a resistance group that’s preventing the junta’s troops, has already introduced that if the 2 distinguished activists are executed, it’s going to retaliate on the idea of a watch for a watch and a tooth for a tooth. Its chief mentioned: “Individuals like Ko Jimmy and Ko Zeya Thaw are massive heroes of our revolution.”

The response might be huge and widespread, with related responses being seen throughout the nation as quickly because the executions are carried out.

Min Aung Hlaing and his regime have already dedicated many unforgivable errors towards the entire of Myanmar’s society, from the coup itself to the arrests of elected leaders to mass killings of residents and extra. The execution could be one other unforgivable mistake.

Anyway, that’s what we are able to say concerning the junta and its evil motivations.

As for us, we’ve got to play our half—to attempt to cease evil from prevailing and claiming the lives of those activists.

In the intervening time, the Myanmar folks, your entire inhabitants, really feel fairly helpless below the boot of the regime. Nonetheless, the worldwide neighborhood might nonetheless assist to cease this from occurring. To date, quite a few international locations and world organizations have condemned the junta for its execution order.

The world’s superpower and democracy champion, the USA, is one in all them. Ned Worth, US Division of State spokesperson, mentioned, “The US strongly condemns the Burmese army regime’s reported plans to execute pro-democracy and opposition leaders, exemplifying the regime’s disregard for human rights and the rule of legislation. We urge the discharge of all unjustly detained.”

Nonetheless, I actually doubt these two sentences from the US will be capable of save Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw.

I’m afraid that such world condemnation alone is unlikely to power or affect Min Aung Hlaing and his regime to rethink or reverse their execution order—and I ponder whether the world’s highly effective democracies have some other choices other than issuing condemnations.

In the event that they don’t, there are international locations like China and the members of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in addition to envoys and analysts who’re prepared, or actively lobbying, to interact with the regime. Don’t in addition they search to persuade Min Aung Hlaing to not kill the duo, if solely to forestall Myanmar from descending into all-out warfare?

Please observe that sparing Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw the noose would save not simply two lives, however many, by avoiding the intense massacre that might certainly comply with their executions.

For me, whilst I battle to finish this story and convey to you all how critical the junta’s execution order is, I’m praying that someday I will meet Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw on the streets of Yangon as soon as once more.

Naing Khit is a commentator on political affairs.

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