MYANMAR EXECUTIONS
1. Context
Myanmar's junta executed four pro-democracy activists and has called the executions "lawful" and said it was "justice for the people".
2. Who are the activists who have been executed?
- Among the four executed were two important political personalities in the pro-democracy protests that swept Myanmar in the immediate aftermath of the coup.
- Phyo Zayar Thaw was a rapper and hip-hop artiste, and a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD). He had been a parliamentarian since 2012 and worked closely with party leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
- Ko Jimmy was a veteran democracy activist who was part of the "88 Movement", a student-led uprising against the rule of General Ne Win, who led the military junta at the time. The protests led to the elections of 1990, which were won by Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD.
- Those elections were canceled by the junta, leading to a long period of repression in Myanmar, the jailing of hundreds including Aung San, until the military began a transition towards a controlled democracy in 2012.
- Phyo and Ko were arrested in November last year. They were both leaders of the anti-junta protests and called for a people's mobilization for a mass uprising against the junta.
- When they were arrested, state television showed them handcuffed and kneeling before a cache of arms purportedly recovered from them.
- They were accused of procuring weapons for the armed resistance, which goes by the name of the People's Defence Force, against the military rulers.
| The "88 movement" remains one of the defining moments of Myanmar's modern history where protestors voiced their resentment over the economy and the government's wide restrictions on personal freedom. |
3. What has led to the latest executions?
Junta'a failure to establish legitimacy-There is growing restlessness within the junta for failing to establish control and legitimacy despite being in power since 2021.
Boosting the morale of the military leadership-A section within the Tatmadaw has questioned Senior General's leadership capabilities, compared to his predecessors.
Some military and police officials have even joined the pro-democracy movement.
People's resistance- The government is grappling with a resistance movement, ethnic conflicts, terror attacks, and a failing economy.
Global focus- Perhaps the regime sees the global focus on Ukraine and Srilanka as an opportunity to carry out something in its backyard.
4. Is the death penalty common in Myanmar?
This is the first time in 25 years that judicial executions have taken place in Myanmar. Except for the last 10 years, the military has directly ruled Myanmar for decades, sentencing many of its opponents to death. The last time the sentence was implemented was in the later 1990s. Many of the death sentences were commuted.
Cambodia and the Philippines are the only two south East Asian counties to have abolished the death sentence.
5. What about the International responses?
The execution has been condemned by individual countries and international organizations.
Regionally, the strongest voice has been from Combodia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member.
Neither, the condemnations nor the earlier sanctions levied by the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., the European Union, and others, have made an impact on the regime.
Successive military regimes have resisted external pressure, both from within the region and the rest of the world.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: National League for Democracy (NLD), ASEAN, Death penalty, 88 Movement
For Mains: 1. Explain which led to the military coup in Myanmar and how the international community responded. (250 words).
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Source: The Indian Express
