Myanmar marks one year under military rule

At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the sound of clapping broke the silence across Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon. Many residents had participated in a six-hour silent strike, leaving streets and businesses devoid of regular traffic to protest one year of military rule.

Before the strike began, pro-democracy protesters turned out chanting anti-military slogans and raising three fingers in the resistance salute adopted from The Hunger Games.

On Feb. 1 last year, the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, who now faces criminal charges under the junta’s leadership. Despite the military’s crackdown on opponents of last year’s coup, civilian protests and civil disobedience have continued.

The military detained at least 58 people last week after they indicated plans to participate in the silent protests. Hours before the anniversary of the coup, the National Defense and Security Council extended the state of emergency by six months.

The junta has detained more than 11,000 people, and more than 1,500 people have died in the past 12 months. Government employees, teachers, and other private workers have engaged in civil disobedience. Civilians set up people’s defense forces to fight back against the military, sometimes partnering with ethnic minority rebels.

The economic and social situation in Myanmar, also known as Burma, has deteriorated since the takeover amid mounting tensions. Only 10 percent of the country’s nearly 10 million school-age children registered for school this academic year, according to the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation. In its January report, the International Labour Organization said the country lost about 1.6 million jobs in the last year, with the construction, tourism, and hospitality industries among the worst hit. More residents and businesses are facing blackouts and internet curbs.

“This summer will be really tough,” Ko Oo, a business owner, told Deutsche-Welle. “There will be longer and more frequent blackouts.”

On Monday, the Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions on senior members of Myanmar’s judiciary and a major revenue-generating port over rights abuses since the takeover. In a statement, President Joe Biden asked the military to release Suu Kyi and other detainees and reverse its actions.

People fleeing fighting between M23 forces and the Congolese army find refuge in a church in Kibumba, Democratic Republic of Congo, last week. Associated Press/Photo by Moses Sawasawa

World radar

• CONGO: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive Ituri province killed at least 50 people at a displacement shelter. The CODECO rebel group fighters staged the attack overnight on Tuesday with machetes and other weapons. Also this week, at least 2,000 people fled attacks on six villages in an eastern province. Authorities blamed the M23 rebel group, which upped attacks against military targets in the region since November. More than 120 rebel groups operate across the eastern region.

• PAKISTAN: Gunmen on Sunday killed one Anglican priest and injured another as they drove home after Mass in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The Rev. Fr. William Siraj, 75, died instantly after being shot multiple times, while the Rev. Fr. Naeem Patrick received treatment for an injury on his hand. Christians held a memorial for the slain priest at All Saints Church, the site of a 2013 militant attack that left more than 70 worshippers dead.

• AFGHANISTAN: A pregnant New Zealand journalist will return home next month after being stranded in Afghanistan due to her country’s stringent COVID-19 border policies. Charlotte Bellis, who is 25 weeks pregnant, said she tried the lottery-style system and applied for an emergency return, but was rejected. Her case renewed attention on New Zealand, which has left thousands of its citizens stranded abroad as they wait in military-run border quarantine hotels. Meanwhile, the United Nations this week said it has credible information that more than 100 former members of Afghanistan’s government and others who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban returned to power in August.

• SYRIA: An unchecked online industry is providing high-quality fake passports to people linked to the Islamic State, allowing them to leave Syria for the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. The Guardian this week reported some clients use fake Russian passports to cross from Syria to Turkey and into Mexico before illegally entering the United States. A fake European Union passport costs as much as $8,000. An Uzbek online provider charges $500 for a fake Turkish death certificate to help people disappear completely. The business suggests extremists could be bypassing global security and fleeing from prosecution.

• PORTUGAL: The country’s ruling center-left Socialist Party clinched an unexpected victory in Sunday’s snap election. The vote was triggered in December after Prime Minister António Costa failed to pass a budget after losing the backing of two smaller parties. Polls ahead of the election indicated the Socialist Party had lost its advantage. The victory will likely allow a stable government in Portugal as it administers $18.7 billion worth of EU pandemic recovery funds.

• HONG KONG: More than a dozen Christian leaders and groups in Hong Kong on Monday urged territory leader Carrie Lam to drop charges against media tycoon Jimmy Lai and other pro-democracy activists detained under a controversial national security law. The coalition handed over the petition to a government representative outside the government headquarters.

Africa brief

When word spread of gunmen opening fire on the Guinea-Bissau presidential palace this week, it sparked fears of yet another coup in West Africa. Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali have all undergone military takeovers in the past 18 months.

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Cissoko Embaló announced that the coup attempt failed, but said the attackers tried to kill him and his Cabinet at the government palace. He linked the violence to drug trafficking operations rather than the military.

One African analyst this week urged the regional Economic Community of West African States to consider the unique situation in each nation before imposing sanctions. Komlan Avoulete said such sanctions should target root causes of coups, such as presidents who change their nations’ constitution to remain in power: “A problem is solved by addressing its causes, not by managing its consequences.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that  Fr. William Siraj was an Anglican affiliated with the Church of Pakistan, not a Catholic priest.