On Monday, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup d’etat, deposing former international darling Aung San Suu Kyi. The military putsch dramatically exposed Myanmar’s widely lauded democratic transition — which came to the world’s attention with the freeing of Suu Kyi in 2010 and the first democratic election in decades in 2015 — as fundamentally flawed. The 2008 constitution that governs the country grants the military full control over key ministries and broad authority to declare a state of emergency.
The question of how Myanmar’s people will respond now looms large. Suu Kyi and her party remain popular in the country despite her brutal record — which includes enabling the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims — because they’re seen as representing an end to military rule and an increased openness to the world.
Meanwhile, the medical staff in major cities have called for a strike, the country’s largest labor federation is urging people not to cooperate with the military government on labor issues, and a Facebook group titled “civil disobedience movement” has drawn a hundred eighty thousand likes.
Shortly before the coup, we spoke with Ma Moe Sandar Myint of Action Labor Right, a key organizer of the recent strike wave, to get a better sense of workers’ struggles in Myanmar. We tried to reach her after the putsch, but communication is currently being disrupted inside Myanmar. What is certain, though, is that the fight against authoritarianism in Myanmar will be intimately tied to the success of its labor movement.
rupikaur_♥️🙏🏽 so many of you have asked what you can do to support the #farmersprotest : slide through for info or read below 👇🏽
1) post on social media to raise awareness. i know this seems small. but it creates a ripple effect that will save lives. i’ve been advised by many human rights organizations that raising awareness on social media is the most effective tactic when dealing with the indian government. they are highly sensitive to international attention- so let’s give it to them.
2) put pressure on your local politicians and those with influence. put pressure on the media. ask them to speak up and bring attention to india’s human rights abuses. when freedom of press is attacked- democracy dies. every statement from officials around the world puts pressure on the indian government to take accountability for their human rights abuses.
3) if you’re interested in donating- @khalsa_aid is a great international humanitarian organization who is helping providing resources to farmers on the ground.
thank you for your endless support family- i love you all ♥️ your thoughtfulness and desire to change the world is forever inspiring
our people started protesting in punjab as early as july 2020. they marched to delhi on nov 27 and have been sleeping on the streets since. punjab- haryana- up- rajasthan. and beyond. the people are united across religion and geography. singing songs of freedom. our people feeding the masses. our people dying. activists abducted. journalists kidnapped. the government is currently building walls of cement and spikes around protest sites to cage people in. they try to defame our heroes. they sexually assault women in police custody. but truth will prevail. all of you. all of us. the diaspora marched and continues to give its heart out. onward. louder. stronger my friends. it’s working ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽#farmersprotest p.s. i can hear modi crying while throwing a temper tantrum 😆 music to my ears !!! (graphics by my sis @taranamol )
@one-time-i-dreamt I only know your blog that can share this info to the world. Hope you’ll share it. Fingers crossed🤞🏽😊
how much (or are you at all) treated differently for being a women in your field? I know it’s a different experience for everyone and I just wanted to hear your perspective
Head from monumental red granite statue of king Amenhotep III.
This statue, wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, was found in front of the temple of Khonsupakhered in the temple enclosure of Mut at Karnak. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, ca. 1391-1353 BC. Now in the British Museum, London.
EA15
What do you hope to find using this new technology? When you were a kid, did you ever dream of landing on Mars? Even if you may not be visiting, tech that you have sway over is.
