14th February, 2021 #day14

 

Today marks the second week of the coup. One of the most popular issues of the day is the release of prisoners in the neighborhoods at night. The junta has been criticized for deliberately sending people out of prisons across the country to incite violence and social unrest. Last night, locals has detained not only prisoners but also police officers in their neighborhoods. Many of them were found with drugs, petrol and knives. The detainees have not yet been handed over to the police and are being held by the people themselves. They are mostly young men, teenagers, and also people pretending to be monks. According to some of them, they were paid and ordered to burn and break into houses. Due to these factors, Yangoners are conducting night patrols and barricades around their own neighborhoods.

Of the four mobile operators, MPT, MyTel, Ooredoo, and Telenor, Telenor, a Norwegian-based company, has received some praise from the public. It is considered to be more transparent than others because it has frequently shared information about the junta’s orders and its position with the public since the first day of the coup. However, it has also been criticized for blocking the internet and social media like other operators, as ordered by the junta. Another popular topic among the public is about the City Mark, the most famous shopping center in Yangon. The City Mark has removed items such as Myanmar Beer and Red Ruby from military-owned businesses from its all branches. In addition, some young people have created an application called shaung-dicktator.web.app to search for military related items.

Again there has been more rumors about the internet connection this evening. Some said that the internet will be cut off again at 1 am to 9 am tomorrow. But some claimed the it will be cut off for a week. However, people are warning public servants not to sleep in their homes.

Adding to the public's concern is the fact that tanks are driving around Yangon again. Similar incidents took place within a day or two before the coup. Rumors of a imminent shooting and violent crackdown have raised concerns. Moreover, protesters are urging public servants not to go to work tomorrow and to speed up the CDM movement. Many government banks as well as private banks have been shut down due to the CDM demonstrations.

Remark: due to the news that the internet will be cut off, this day-14 that I am writing now may be the last report for people living in Myanmar to read in a certain period of time. Therefore, I want to encourage the protesters to stay strong and safe. We will not be silenced.