The people of Myanmar are waging a heroic sustained militant protest struggle for last four months against the fascist military junta force Tatmadaw who has once again taken control of the governmental power of the country in a coup on 1 February 2021, ousting the democratically elected government led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Disdaining all intimidation and coercive action of the military, people’s protests are swelling throughout the country. Thousands of Myanmar citizens comprising all sections of suffering people – students, teachers, youth, women, workers, peasants – are taking to the streets every day. So far, around 750 civilians have been killed by security forces and over 3300 people detained. Some of those who died had taken part in anti-coup protests, while others – including children – were simply sitting in their homes when they were killed. Such has been the extent of brutality on the part of the junta against their own countrymen demanding restoration of democratic rule and release of all those taken into custody. But undaunted and fearless, the Myanmar people are continuing their just struggle and the oppressed people throughout the world are in solidarity with them.
In this connection, a notable feature cannot be overlooked, rather ought to be taken lessons from. Everyone is aware how nearly 1.1 million population of the Rohingyas belonged to an ethnic minority group, mainly Muslims, of Myanmar hitherto staying in the Rakhine province in western part of the country had been facing torture, humiliation, persecution and even murderous attacks from the power that be. These hapless people were mercilessly discriminated against and tormented in the country dominated by the Buddhists. These wretched victims of severe onslaughts, still shudder at the nightmare of how the army or the masked men- allegedly Buddhist nationalists, armed with guns and machetes shot at or beheaded male members of the village even without sparing a single of them. With the horrible pain of seeing their near and dears being brutally murdered, fired upon or hacked before their eyes, the survivors ran for life looking back at their villages being looted, ravaged and lastly burnt to ashes. Finally they were forcibly evicted from their own country and scattered here and there as stateless persons frantically trying to hold onto their lives. The assault on the Rohingyas is a shame of the civilized world.
But now the common Myanmar people fighting for a just cause against an armed autocratic regime have been feeling concerned about the Rohingyas, their own fellow countrymen, now in dire straits. Myanmar people wearing black and flashing three- finger salute of resistance, with tags of “# Black for Rohingya”. In response, a rightist activist Thinjar Shunlei posted thus: “Justice must be served to each of you ( meaning Rohingyas)and for each of us in Myanmar.” There was a protest in Yangon, with demonstrators dressed in black holding aloft signs declaring ” protesting for the oppressed Rohingyas”. As Rohingya activist Ro Nay San Lwin, pointed out, while the post was a part of an online yearly campaign for raising awareness about Rohingya issue, it was the first time it has gone viral in Myanmar- with 180,000 from the country sharing the post. Reportedly, even undercover National Unity Government, that comprises lawmakers aiming to topple the junta, has expressed solidarity with the Rohingyas, inviting them to “join hands…to participate in this Spring Revolution”.
Earlier, many of these Myanmar citizens having been swayed by ethnic-religious fanaticism supported exodus of the Rohingyas by the ruling dispensation. However, while carrying on a protracted, legitimate, anti- autocracy blood-bathed battle, they have realised the plight of the hapless Rohingyas. This is how political consciousness is dawned upon the oppressed people engaged in a united battle against a common enemy for a just cause and they feel fraternity with their exploited and repressed brethren, in the country or abroad. The cultural milieu of a legitimate movement removes all divisive thoughts whatsoever. This is the teaching of history. So when the imperialist-capitalist rulers of different countries, mortally afraid of historically ordained anti-capitalist proletarian revolution, foment and nurture all kinds of divisiveness among the ruthlessly exploited toiling masses and try to embroil various sections of the people in internecine fraternal feuds and bloodbaths to drive a wedge into their unity, it is only a united organized powerful movement of the people which can stem the rot and if led by a correct revolutionary force, can work as a bulwark against the oppression and repression of the bourgeois rulers. The fact that the bonding or solidarity that develops among people that are oppressed and persecuted is best manifest in hours of crisis, is being amply vindicated through the sequence of events taking place in Myanmar.
Fighting Myanmar people express solidarity with persecuted and evicted Rohingyas
