Ɖ Gardịn vy on Mianmar’z militri: in pǎr bt nt in cntrol
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 6 Dec. 2022)
Dspt ɖ Taṃdw’z incrisñ viśsnis, it apirz unebl t s’pres rzistns
Tyzde 6 Dsmbr 2022
In Febrri 2021, Mianmar’z armi endd its deced-loñ, grujñ tolṛns v liṃtd dmocṛsi bî lōnćñ a cù, dtenñ Oñ San Su Ći n uɖr ilectd sviłn poḷtiśnz. Sins ɖen, its rūʈlisnis hz onli incrist. Ɖ numbr v p’liticl priznrz hz sōrd t mor ɖn 13,000. Ɖ junta hz rzymd x’kśnz fr ɖ frst tîm in decedz. Ɖ YN hymn-rîts ćīf, Volker Türk, sd last Frîde ɖt ɖ reźīm wz yzñ ɖ deʈpenlti t cruś p’liticl opziśn, xpresñ śoc ɖt 130 ppl hv bn sntnst t deʈ bî militri corts bhnd clozd dorz. Mni v ɖ 1,700 ppl hu hv std trîl hv bn dnaid axes t loyrz or reḷtivz. Nt wn hz bn aqitd.
Ɖ pandemic, wor in Ycren n uprîzñz elsẃr hv mnt ɖt ɖ wrld hz larjli stopt peyñ atnśn t ivnts in Mianmar, ẃr ɖ militri z litṛli psywñ a scorćt-rʈ poḷsi. It hz reizd viḷjz ɖt it akzz v s’portñ ɖ opziśn n hz bomd hospitlz, scūlz n īvn a conṣt. An esṭmetd 1.3 miłn ppl r dsplest n livñ in hrific cndiśnz. It cntinyz t ad t ɖ raft v cnvix́nz n prizntrmz fr Oñ San Su Ći. Rîtsgrūps rport xtṛjdiśl cilñz bî soljrz n mliśaz.
Ɖ asumśn at frst wz ɖt ɖ militri, loñ xprt in s’presñ stŕñz v dsnt n dmocṛsi, wd sn ri’srt cntrol. Īvn ẃn sm pṛtstrz tc p armz – n ɖ pro-dmocṛsi naśnl yṇti guvnmnt bact a “dfnsiv wor” – it sīmd a hoplis indevr, gvn ɖer lac v muni, iqipmnt n trenñ. Yt ɖ rzistns hz bn nt onli rmarcbli pṛtractd bt – undr ɖ srcmstansz – s’prîzñli ifctiv. Sviłn mliśaz, wrcñ alñsd sm v ɖ eʈnic armd grūps ɖt wr olrdi baṭlñ ɖ stet, r cariyñ ǎt atacs on militri besīz n in prīvịsli untuć̣bl sntṛl eriaz. Soljrz r sd t b qitñ or dfctñ. Ɖ junta hz olso rlaid on Ruśa fr mć v its wepnri – ɖo it cn stl cǎnt on Ćîna, India n uɖrz.
Ć freś abys bî ɖ reźīm gvz oponnts rīzn t fît on – nwn b’livz it wl compṛmîz. Ilex́nz r promist nxt yir, bt ɖ pǎrsiźr rzultd fṛm ɖ militri’z rpitd fełr t win at ɖ baḷtbox, n oponnts r ol loct p. Ɖ reźīm md a veg atmt at PR bî rlisñ 6,000 or mor priznrz last munʈ, includñ a formr Britiś ambasdr, Vici Bǒmn. Bt sm wr dtend agn on ɖ sem de, n ɖ totl numbr v ɖoz hld sn rībǎndd. Ɖ junta rmenz gṛtescli slf-srvñ, wɖ its ćīf, Min Oñ Hlîñ, spendñ a rportd $33m on onrz t cīp its frendz on sîd – in ɖ proses awordñ himslf tū tîtlz, wn v ẃć cmz wɖ an ilabṛt gold n rūbi medl.
Sañśnz śd rmen cerḟli tarġtd at ɖoz in ɖ reźīm n ɖer faṃliz. Ɖo s’portrz v ɖ dmocṛsimuvmnt prêz ɖ YC fr tecñ ɖ līd inṭnaśṇli, ɖe b’liv mć mor mst b dn. Ɖe mc a stroñ ces fr cutñ of ɖ s’plî v evieśnfyl – yzd bî ɖ militri īvn ẃn it hz s’pozidli bn destind fr sivl flîts. Ɖ junta’z incrisñ brūtaḷti, hvr, z a sîn v fir az wel az frɖr evidns v its viśsnis. Sm v ɖoz struġlñ fr dmocṛsi nǎ spīc nt v a cù, bt an atmtd cù; ʈancs t ɖ rzistns, ɖe se, it hz nt yt s’xidd. Ɖe nīd mor s’port t enśur ɖt it dz nt.
