Aiming prop assault rifles as they “beat” and “sexually assaulted” civilians, Myanmar nationals brought to a Bangkok street this morning the brutality being visited by the military upon their friends and families back home.
Guerilla theater performers acted out scenes of violence in front the Myanmar Embassy, where hundreds of protesters converged on the second anniversary of the 2021 coup d’etat to call attention to the Tatmadaw’s ongoing violent pacification campaign back home.
“We want to show the world that, no matter where we are or where we fled to, Myanmar’s people need justice,” said Zayar, who learned of the protest through Whatsapp and Line groups used by hundreds of Myanmar citizens residing in Bangkok.
Guerilla theater at #Myanmar Embassy in #Bangkok, where protesters, mostly from Myanmar, simulate the violent military oppression back home by mimicking intimidation and assaults on civilians, including simulated sexual violence. pic.twitter.com/1LkNXobSFF
— Coconuts Bangkok (@CoconutsBangkok) February 1, 2023
The 32-year-old man, who took the day off from his work mending clothes and invited a few friends to join him, said that he hasn’t seen his mother in Myanmar since the coup.
Shouting slogans, many at the rally wore the red color of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party, which led the civilian government when the military seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, after fomenting conspiracy theories about the previous election.
Many held portraits of the 77-year-old former state counsellor who has been convicted in a series of corruption trials by military-controlled, kangaroo courts. Others held portraits and emblems of the government in exile known as the National Unity Government, or NUG.
Veera Seangthong of Myanmar network Bright Future, which helped organize the protest, said many more people showed up than expected. He had no plan to deliver any petition or letter to the embassy.
“Even though I send a petition letter to the embassy, they won’t do any single thing anyway,” he said.
Protesters from #Myanmar gather outside their embassy in #Bangkok, #Thailand this morning to demand an end to military rule back home on the 2nd anniversary of the coup d’etat. pic.twitter.com/SrGwCCW30J
— Coconuts Bangkok (@CoconutsBangkok) February 1, 2023
All photos: Chayanit Itthipongmaetee / Coconuts Bangkok
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