The younger generation are driving the mass protests
Credit: AP
Myanmar’s Generation Z came of age as the Southeast Asian nation tentatively embraced democratic reforms after half a century of crippling international isolation under an oppressive military junta.
Now the younger generation — aged 24 and below, and who have grown up with more freedom, prosperity and access to technology – are driving the mass protests against last week’s coup to prevent the military from crushing the country’s newfound liberties and drawing it back to its dark past.
“We need to fight against the coup to get justice back. I would like to tell the military not to underestimate our Gen-Z and not to mess up with us,” Nyi Htut Zin, a 17-year-old student told The Telegraph.
"If we don’t fight for our rights and justice, our lives will be dead under military dictatorship."
Young people are shaping today’s pro-democracy movement with irreverent humour and memes that mark a break from more traditional protest slogans in earlier uprisings against military rule in 1988 and 2007, when the internet was heavily restricted.
I feel you sisters.
Photo from AFP #WhatsHappeningInMaynmar #Myanmar #militarycoupinMyanmar #CivilDisobedienceMovement #Feb8Coup pic.twitter.com/2ucLYgS23s
— Ei Mon Thinn Kyu (@EiMonThinnKyu) February 8, 2021
“I don’t want dictatorship. I just want boyfriend,” and “my ex is bad but Myanmar military is worse” have been spotted on banners popular with young female protesters joining the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets since Saturday.
Other more strongly worded posters, that read: “You f**ked with the wrong generation,” betray the anger and raw disappointment of first-time voters that their democratic choices have been sidelined by aging autocratic generals who were trounced in last November’s poll.
Although Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader, and her ruling National League for Democracy party, won an overwhelming 83 per cent of the vote, the military has used unproven claims of fraud to justify its decision to seize power.
The generals may not have reckoned with the determination and social media influence of the tech-savvy Gen Z
Credit: CHALINEE THIRASUPA /REUTERS
“They should respect our vote. We did not vote for the military. So, we will fight and reject military government. I will only accept the people elected government,” said Wai Wai Tun, 20, a university student protesting in Yangon.
The generals, insulated from the population in their purpose-built capital of Naypyitaw, and who have been able to cloak past crackdowns through internet blackouts, may not have reckoned with the determination and social media influence of the tech-savvy Gen Z.
Young people in Myanmar are linking up online with activists who took on Beijing’s rule in Hong Kong and who challenged the military’s domination over politics in neighbouring Thailand, forming bonds through hashtags like the popular #MilkTeaAlliance, that signals united opposition to autocracies.
@cindy.tkh
PLEASE HELP US #savemyanmar #fyp
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