Myanmar After One Year: No Peace In Sight And Many Dead
MYANMAR - One year ago the Myanmar military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi which has led to a continued resistance, or insurgency among the people. 1,500 people have been killed by Myanmar's security forces and 8,800 have been detained since. 300,000 have been displaced in the country with an unknown number who have been tortured or disappeared altogether.
Thomas Kean who is an analyst of Myanmar affairs consulting for the International Crisis GRoup think tank spoke to the the Associated Press saying "We saw in the first days after the coup, they tried to adopt a sort of business-as-usual approach".
"And of course, you know, that unleashed these huge protests that were brutally crushed, which resulted in people turning to armed struggle".
The Myanmar military responded to the protests and militas that formed by using the 'Four Cuts' strategy and cutting off the people's access to food, income, information and recruitment which of course leads to civilians suffering as well.
Kean told AP that when the military enters a village "they’ll burn down some houses, maybe shoot some people, take prisoners and torture them — the sort of horrific abuses that we’re seeing on a regular basis".
"But when the soldiers leave, they lose control of that area. They don’t have enough manpower to maintain control when 80% to 90% of the population is against them" he said.
"I see the stage sort of set for a prolonged conflict. Neither side seems willing to back down or sees it as in their interest or a necessity to back down or to make concessions in any way to the other" Kean said to AP.
"And so it’s just very difficult to see how the conflict will diminish, will reduce in the near term, even over a period of several years. It’s just very difficult to see peace returning to many areas of Myanmar".