25th March, 2021 #day53

 

The day after the “Silent Strike”, which took place with the slogan "Our City, Our Voice", the people resumed their street protests. In some places, protests took place at dawn, and in others they lasted all day. Night protests were also seen in many before the curfew. The junta’s troops have carried out violent crackdowns and arrests in cities such as Taunggyi, Khin Oo, Thaketa, Thuwanna, Hakha, Mawlamyine and Mohnyin, according to citizen journalists and local media. Myanmar Nows reports that at least four people were killed in Taunggyi, Shan State, and properties were destroyed. According to the AAPP, 286 people have been confirmed killed as of today.

In the cities, unarmed civilians are being killed by the junta, but many members of the junta have been killed in fighting on the border. A KIA spokesman told Myitkyina News that they have occupied a Tatmadaw base on the strategic Alaw Bum hill near the Kachin-Chinese border. A battalion commander is among the captured and many soldiers were killed during the battle, according to social media sites close to the KIA. In a few weeks ago, the junta’s 77th Brigade was reportedly ambushed on the road, killing many during their march toward KNU-controlled areas. The 77th Brigade is responsible for the massacre in Yangon in early March.

Protesters are calling for Ta Paung Attack on March 27 which falls on Armed Forces Day or Tatmadaw Day. It is previously known as the Revolution Day till 1960s as it commemorates the armed resistance against the Japanese invasion in 1945. Ta Paung is the 12th month of the Burmese calendar and the last month of the year. Embassies and ethnic armed groups are also being urged not to attend the event. However, there are reports that armed groups such as the Rakhine’s Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Mon’s New Mon State Party (NMSP), and Karen’s Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Karen National Liberation Army - Peace Council (KNLA - PC) will attend the event. These groups are relatively small armed groups that signed a ceasefire in 2015.

The CRPH's acting Vice President sent a letter to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Mahana) today. The letter welcomes the announcement that the Mahana would not be in contact with the junta and urges their continue support. Mahana, the most influential Buddhist organization, was criticized for being close to the military under previous regimes, and its support is crucial for the CRPH in a country with more than 80 percent Buddhists. Following the deaths and injuries of many people, the CRPH has called on its social media to make donations to the formation of the federal army. According to CRPH leader Lwin Ko Latt, about $ 20 million will be required every month for the army to function properly and request to offer donations via https://Charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/crph and https://crphmyanmar.org/donate/ .

At the same time, the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on two military-owned businesses, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). These two companies, which own more than 100 businesses in the country, are the military's main sources of incomes, earning millions of dollars a year. Military personnel own sixty percent of MEHL also known as U Paing shares and the Minister of Defense owns 40 percent. According to the Amnesty International, Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing owned 5,000 shares in U Paing in 2011 and made a profit of $ 250,000. In addition, the Western Command, which committed the violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine state, owned about $ 208 million in 2010-2011.