After a coup earlier in the year, violence continues in the Southeast Asian military junta.

Ever since the military of Myanmar took governmental control of the nation in February, protest against the oppressive government has been met with fatal retaliation. 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, gained sovereignty from the British empire in 1948. The military controlled the government from 1962 to 2011 until the nation became a democracy following pressure from the United Nations. 

While routine elections were held from 2011 to 2021, the military reassumed power in a coup on February 1 after claims of mass election fraud. Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing declared a “state of emergency,” and what followed has been an ongoing reign of terror. The declaration has allowed armed forces to legally arrest political opponents and violently quell opposition, such as protests. 

These protests have put pressure on the military-controlled government, or junta, to hold elections, but the government has only taken oppressive measures against its citizens. There are restrictions regarding assembly, such as curfews, and policies allowing for the military’s use of rubber bullets, water hoses, and lethal firearms to violently stamp out resistance.

According to White House correspondent, Zolan Kanno-Youngs monitoring groups in Myanmar have reported that 420 people have been killed and many others have been victims of violence including torture, assault, or arrest. Thu Ya Zaw, a Myanmar citizen, told Reuters news agency that, “they are killing us like birds or chickens, we will keep protesting regardless.”

In response to the cruel display of violence, many nations have imposed sanctions. The United States suspended a trade contract formulated in 2013 and sanctioned two companies that produce weapons for the Myanmar military. 

There is hope for a brighter future as the military junta promises to hold elections after the state of emergency expires in one year. But, we should be skeptical of the military’s claims because the junta has shown to its citizens that demands for an election are a death sentence, and the junta has no incentive to hold elections.