BURMA COUP - 3

February 10: The dictatorship is arresting people it thinks are protest leaders. But at this point the movement is organic, virtually leaderless. Everyone knows what to do (or takes it upon themselves to figure out what to do). And when the police do make arrests, that just outrages the protestors even more.

February 10: I would imagine that most people in Burma have heard about President Biden imposing sanctions. The whole process - with the U.S. - is playing out well. The very first day, Biden himself denounced the coup, and - very notably - used "Burma." Then the State Department people went to work. They may well have 5 response plans, depending on what happens. After the huge protest turnout, and the dictatorship starting to crack down, we now get the first response. Biden didn't have time in his new statement to go into detail, but the sanctions have a lot of elements, and which will no doubt be announced shortly. Now the people of Burma know that the U.S. is really paying attention, and that should be comforting. So the turnouts today already look big. Way to go! Bring the dictatorship down!

Also, although the regime is acting tough - there have been more arrests, behind the scenes they are of course very worried, if not panicked. AND, they have to be planning for the worst case - for them, which is that they will be overthrown. The people need to make the pressure unbearable, so they flee. There can be no talk of an amnesty, or going back to the way things were. As Gen Z so rightly says, This is it! It has to end now!

February 11: THIS is how you bring the dictatorship down - mutinies! As has been noted, most police and Tatmadaw soldiers voted for the NLD in the election. We need more and more of them to turn against the junta officers, first by joining the protests, and then through direct action. Let's be clear, when Min Aung Hlaing is under arrest, or dead, the dictatorship is over. Taking Than Shwe down will be the icing on the cake.

February 11: OK! Here's Biden's Executive Order, the first step in what will be a long and growing list of actions against Burma's military dictatorship.

Note this: The coup "constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."

Full opening:

"I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, find that the situation in and in relation to Burma, and in particular the February 1, 2021, coup, in which the military overthrew the democratically elected civilian government of Burma and unjustly arrested and detained government leaders, politicians, human rights defenders, journalists, and religious leaders, thereby rejecting the will of the people of Burma as expressed in elections held in November 2020 and undermining the country's democratic transition and rule of law, constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat."

February 11: Biden talked to the dictator of China yesterday, and pressed him about Hong Kong and Xinjiang/East Turkestan. Burma is going to be his set foreign policy case for East Asia if not the world. This is great news. His foreign policy will succeed or fail based on the outcome of Burma's freedom battle. That means his entire administration will maintain a strong focus, and push wherever and however it can.

February 11: Great job Europe, to train Min Aung Hlaing's murderous police. Neither the EU nor Australia, which also trains the police, has announced anything in response to Biden's new sanctions. Why won't you act? Why do you fund and train dictatorship killers? Is this your foreign policy!?

February 12: Protestors, you are going to have to do this - to get rid of Min Aung Hlaing - on your own. The International Community will not help - not directly. China and Russia are blocking action in the U.N., and China is also actively assisting the dictatorship at the same time. So the regime is getting help, but not you. And, MAH doesn't have any plan to leave, so he will hang on as hard as he can. But there are over 50 million of you! You need to keep protesting, and to expand the general strike. And - and I'm sorry but I don't know exactly how you can do it - you have to turn police and ordinary Tatmadaw soldiers to your side. This shouldn't be impossible. They no doubt voted for the NLD as well. But it does mean they are committing Mutiny. They will be executed if they don't succeed. But you need to get the police and soldiers on your side.

February 12: The Tatmadaw is attacking EAO camps. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

February 13: Towns are building CDM support teams, to do neighborhood watch, to demand the release of arrested protestors, to coordinate new protests, and to provide supplies and assistance.