By Gianni Criveller
The recent images of popular resistance to the military coup in Myanmar have a great evocative power. But the world does not look.
On February 1, Myanmar’s military, having secured the support of neighbouring China, suspended the elections won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party last November and imposed martial law for the third time in recent history.
A country that was moving toward a more democratic future, not without difficulty, is now turning back. Many young people—desperate—are ready to die rather than have their lives ruled by the military.
The army in Myanmar is something different from those of other countries: it is a huge, omnipresent, omnipotent and very rich organisation. Its barracks are gigantic properties, cities within cities, located in city centres and border areas, from which they control all border issues, migration and trafficking, legal or not. How was it possible for critics of the previous civilian government to imagine that it would be easy to bring the functions of the army back into the context of democratic governance?
A country that was moving toward a more democratic future, not without difficulty, is now turning back. Many young people—desperate—are ready to die rather than have their lives ruled by the military.
Cruel military leaders send out soldiers night and day to snatch opponents from their homes. In the meantime, they have released more than 20,000 prisoners to vacate jails for peaceful demonstrators. Released common criminals are incited and paid to cause violence and disorder, destroy or set houses on fire. They are allowed even to wound and kill with long sharp knives or stones and slings. I have seen terrible photos that testify to these crimes. Dozens of people have been killed.
Meanwhile, detained civilian leader, Suu Kyi, is accused of the very serious crime of possessing two-way radios.
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions has been evangelising in Myanmar since 1868, including some of our best missionaries: Felice Tantardini; Blessed Clemente Vismara; Alfredo Cremonesi; Paolo Manna and Blessed Mario Vergara; the latter beatified with his catechist, Isidoro Ngei Ko Lat.
Since 2018, I have visited Taunggyi, the capital of Shan state, every year to teach in the training programme of diocesan seminaries. A wonderful country, you love it as you know it.
Myanmar is Buddhist land with many monks on the front line defending freedom. Catholics march next to them in street protests. The photos of faithful, nuns and priests marching with rosaries and placards in their hands recall similar participation in popular protests in Manila in 1986, Seoul in 1987 and Hong Kong in 1989, 2003, 2014, 2019 and 2020.
