Myanmar’s shadow government launches ‘People’s Defense War’
Myanmar’s shadow government has declared a “public security war” against the military, which seized power in a coup on February 1.
Al Jazeera reports that the government of national unity has called on all citizens to ‘revolt against the rule of military terrorists’ in every corner of the country.
Acting President Dua Lashi La of the National Unity Government (NUG), formed by elected legislators overthrown by generals, announced the news in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
“The National Unity Government, with a responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people, launched a public security war against the military junta,” he said.
As this was a people’s revolution, all citizens of Myanmar revolted against the rule of the military led by Min Ong Hling in every nook and corner of the country.
As Myanmar’s new parliament approaches, Myanmar is in turmoil with the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government by Senior General Ming Ong Heing. The coup led to widespread protests and a civil disobedience movement, to which the military responded strongly. More than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands more have been arrested, according to the Association for Political Prisoners.
Deadly repression, on the other hand, has created an armed resistance to military rule, especially along Myanmar’s borders, with opponents joining ethnic armed groups to form People’s Defense Forces (PDF) to fight back. Tens of thousands have been displaced by the violence.
Al Jazeera reports that diplomatic efforts to end the unrest have largely failed, despite Western sanctions and pressure from Southeast Asian neighbors.