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Military Coup in Myanmar

WhatTheBuck

By WhatTheBuck
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WhatTheBuck

WhatTheBuck 28713

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I’m not sure what to make of this (other than Seinfeld references). It’s pretty crazy. Aung San Suu Kyi (and other politicians) have been arrested. She’s sort of come down in favor of the genocide of the country’s Muslim population in recent years and she reportedly won re-election with 83% of the vote. Maybe I’m a jaded American but a landslide victory like that sounds a little fishy. She’s no saint. But still, a military coup is a really big deal and, given their history, there are no saints in their military either.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55882489

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that internet and telecoms have been disrupted. 

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washparkhorn

washparkhorn 9935

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BBC coverage is good. 

From the link:

The timing of this coup is also easily explained.

This week the first session of parliament since the election was due to start, which would have enshrined the election result by approving the next government.

That will no longer happen.

(Sounds like what Trump wanted to do on January 6th. The military in Burma succeeded and the Republicans failed. On brand.)

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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13049

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6 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Burmese - this is old Burma - where our intelligence agencies were birthed in earnest during WWII.  The Burmese military is potent. And the country is bristling with rebels, insurrectionists . . . and weapons.  

IIRC, the US and the UK still use Burma but it's a diplomatic tightrope? Using Myanmar is to be 'soft' on the military junta, isn't it? I get it mixed up sometimes, plus the bias inherent in Western journalism. I would stink at working in foreign service; they must have mad skills.

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Js1

Js1 85110

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13 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No it shouldn’t.

That was my call-out of Parliament, who uses that thread title when he has an agenda, but not when a thing happens in Myanmar he probably supported on Jan 6. 

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104628

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Sigh.  Burma is and has been a mess.  And if you're a Rohingya, it's all "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" -- they're gonna genocide you no matter what.

Had a long conversation with an expert in the region about the conundrum several years ago.  Between pressure from China on one side, the West on another, and ethnic tensions internally, it's gonna be a hot mess for some time.

And yeah, the "let's shut down parliament so they can't formalize the election results" bit seems.....familiar....

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WhatTheBuck

WhatTheBuck 28713

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4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

And yeah, the "let's shut down parliament so they can't formalize the election results" bit seems.....familiar....

I can’t help but wonder if their military didn’t watch what Trump was doing and decide it’s the season for treason. Maybe it’s a coincidence but the Trump era has been good for dictatorships around the world and maybe they decided now was a good time to get in on the act while Biden’s hands are full. 

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104628

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3 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I can’t help but wonder if their military didn’t watch what Trump was doing and decide it’s the season for treason. Maybe it’s a coincidence but the Trump era has been good for dictatorships around the world and maybe they decided now was a good time to get in on the act while Biden’s hands are full. 

Well, we've been pretty hands-off in Burma for a while....all of our work is very behind the scenes.

But there's no doubt that dictators and militaries are emboldened these days, around the world.  But I don't think that's just Trump setting the tone -- he is part of an overall tone.

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WhatTheBuck

WhatTheBuck 28713

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Apparently there were warning signs. Here’s an article with good background and a lot of supporting links.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/01/myanmar-miliitary-coup-aung-san-suu-kyi/

Quote

Since last week, events in Myanmar have unfolded like a chronicle of a coup foretold. The army warned about it, hinting that a coup might happen. The army chief demurred and foreign embassiesduly protested. The United Nations, too, cautioned against a coup. Then, early on Monday as the new parliament was about to meet, troops were seen at strategic locations in the capital, Naypyidaw, and the country’s largest city, Yangon; military vehicles plied major avenues; and one by one, leading parliamentarians including state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and dozens of others were detained. Among those arrested are regional chief ministers, writers, a singer, and former student leaders of what is known as Generation ’88—the young people who rose against the army that year. Finally, in an official statement released earlier today, the military declared a one-year, nationwide state of emergency and confirmed that power had been handed to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaingu.

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The coup should not surprise anyone. The generals have calculated that they can get away with it: The new U.S. administration is preoccupied with settling in (although it has warned Myanmar that it will be punished), China is busy with its own priorities, the European Union is in flux, much of the world is focused on combating the pandemic, and Aung San Suu Kyi no longer captures the global imagination as she did during the 1990s because of her acquiescence over the Rohingya crisis.

 

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I mean, let's be real.  Myanmar gave democracy a ten year "trial run" and clearly couldn't handle it. They did not renew their subscription. 

And we've been running it for over 200+ years now, and have people who want to do away with much of it. Idiots are in every hemisphere.

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Js1

Js1 85110

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A country with a very problematic history of military coups/rule for basically the entire second half of the 20th century deciding to subvert democracy after 10 years of half-assed "reforms" - kind of expected, tbh.   It sucks, and I hate it, and I hope the Biden Admin has a strong response to the Myanmar Junta.  

The fact that the Myanmar Constitution both gives the military 25% of seats in Parliament automatically and allows the Commander in Chief of the Army to override the president and take over/exercise sovereign state power - I cannot believe that was agreed upon.  What a farce of a new Constitution.

If a cornerstone democratic country besides ours, like France or Germany or the UK, does this, I'd be really fucking worried.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104628

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3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

The fact that the Myanmar Constitution both gives the military 25% of seats in Parliament automatically and allows the Commander in Chief of the Army to override the president and take over/exercise sovereign state power - I cannot believe that was agreed upon.  What a farce of a new Constitution.

If a cornerstone democratic country besides ours, like France or Germany or the UK, does this, I'd be really fucking worried.

Why don't you read up on all the Trumpkins insisting that the US military take over, and that it actually has the constitutional power and obligation to do so.  We don't have to wait for the UK or FRance to try this shit, we've got an entire political party right here at home that's on board with it.

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Js1

Js1 85110

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11 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Why don't you read up on all the Trumpkins insisting that the US military take over, and that it actually has the constitutional power and obligation to do so.  We don't have to wait for the UK or FRance to try this shit, we've got an entire political party right here at home that's on board with it.

I'd ask them to show me where it says that in the Constitution, but they couldn't identify the document if you handed it to them with a neon sign that said "US CONSTITUTION" 

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14252

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14 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Why don't you read up on all the Trumpkins insisting that the US military take over, and that it actually has the constitutional power and obligation to do so.  We don't have to wait for the UK or FRance to try this shit, we've got an entire political party right here at home that's on board with it.

I'll just leave this here for archival purposes.

 

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Js1

Js1 85110

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1 minute ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Sorry, but WTF is happening with posting twitter on the Surl?  It seems like the site went wonky.

I have to reset my cookies every day now to get them to load. 

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aggie08

aggie08 21434

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1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

And we've been running it for over 200+ years now, and have people who want to do away with much of it. Idiots are in every hemisphere.

Why do I get the feeling that the people who you think are trying to do away with democracy are different than the ones I think are doing so?

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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7 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Why do you support those people?

So who do I support, and you do think supporting a party with Pelosi at the helm, and president who's a brain fart way from another aneurism, and a VP who is very far left of center in her political philosophy is a sound option ?

 

 

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Fudge Nuggets

Fudge Nuggets 19151

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3 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

So who do I support, and you do think supporting a party with Pelosi at the helm, and president who's a brain fart way from another aneurism, and a VP who is very far left of center in her political philosophy is a sound option ?

 

 

We all know who you support.  Answer the fucking question, traitor. 

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Js1

Js1 85110

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5 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

So who do I support, and you do think supporting a party with Pelosi at the helm, and president who's a brain fart way from another aneurism, and a VP who is very far left of center in her political philosophy is a sound option ?

 

 

None of those are a reasons to overturn democracy as a temper tantrum because you lost.  

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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13049

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1 hour ago, Neonmoon said:

Someone want to learn me on why the US officially recognizes both names Burma and Myanmar 

It's touchy. Burma dates back to colonization so that's you know, kind of not cool these days. However, the military coup thing resulted IIRC in the military saying, "Yo! Call us Myanmar, now." So the US didn't want to officially recognize an illegitimate government so they call it Burma but they also know that not all the people that live there are Burmese so sometimes they refer to it as Burma/Myanmar because they also have to deal with the coup people and it gets complicated. Jen Psaki used to work in the State Department so she can explain it better. If I run across a clip where she explains it, I'll post it.

 

 

Edited by Mrs Whiggins
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