YDS 2021 in Review

by Declan Hourd | YDS Regional Correspondent
Since the coup in February, violence committed by the Tatmadaw, the armed forces
of Myanmar, against the Burmese people has only escalated. The Young Diplomats
Society has tracked the promising results of the November elections, despite their
flawed rollout, and explored the underlying tension between civilian and military
leadership in Myanmar. The coup is another tragedy in a country with a long history
of violent ethnic conflict and a myriad of social issues that many developing
countries experience. In the broader context of the international system, the
geopolitical contest taking place in the Indo-Pacific has encouraged a range of
responses from many actors.
The military junta was swift to suppress civil disobedience by imposing curfews and
internet blackouts across the country. Despite this, civilians were quick to organise
peaceful demonstrations in the streets. Civil servants, teachers, and doctors have
joined in solidarity by stopping work and, in doing so, impaired the ability of the
junta to govern the country. The international diaspora brought protests to their
embassies, and Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the UN elected before the
coup, Kyaw Moe Tun, expressed his heartfelt support for the protests. He called for
the return of democracy to his country and implored other countries to cut ties with
the military junta until normalcy is restored.
As the preliminary efforts of the Tatmadaw failed to curb public outcry against their
seizure of power, soldiers were sent into the streets to break up protests and quell
any opposition. According to Human Rights Watch, over 700 people, including
children, have been killed so far, and hundreds have disappeared. Video footage has
revealed soldiers beating medical staff, firing shotguns into crowds, and using
grenades against barricades built by protestors. Complementing its physical
suppression of the people, the junta has also recently charged the captive Aung San
Suu Kyi with violations of the secrets act and has recalled over 100 diplomatic staff
from foreign postings. Among those recalled was Myanmar’s Ambassador to the UK,
Kyaw Zwar Minn, who supported the protestors by calling for the release of Aung
San Su Kyi and President U Win Myint, and has since been locked out of the London
embassy compound,
As this unrest unfolds, discussions on the role of the various Ethnic Armed
Organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar have begun to take place. For decades, these
groups have been fighting against the central government for recognition and selfgovernance.
In order to dissuade these groups from collaborating against them, the
junta has removed some of these organisations from terrorist organisation lists,
declared ceasefires, and released prisoners related to the EAOs. However, the junta
can only stall for so long. The junta’s continued use of violence against civilians has
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