From Shutdown to Growth

I wrote this in Norwegian last week, but since last week the situation have even got worse and there is close to 200 people dead now, since the coup started.

I had intended to write something about the military coup in Myanmar for some time, but it has taken time because I felt it has been a bit difficult to put it into words.

We have family in Myanmar and my wife has lived most of her life there, and is from Myanmar, so this has affected us, and affects us.
February the 1st started as a normal day, but in the afternoon my wife saw something on Facebook that was disturbing. She asked me to check International News to see what was happening. When I went online and checked Norwegian news media, the headlines were: Military coup in Myanmar, and it confirmed our fears.
For the next days it was a lot of uncertainty (and it still is). At times, it was difficult to get in touch with my wife’s mother and siblings with whom she has a lot of contact with, as the telephone and the Internet were down most of the day.
My wife grew up in the 80’s, and she still remembers that she had to live in a bamboo house far out in the jungle for the fear of military when she was little. Eventually, they moved down to a village where most of the family lives today.
However, they experienced uncertain times, and their father said he did not want to build a house or anything of great value, because they could never know if the military would claim it.
It was difficult to build a future, they did not know what would and could happen tomorrow.

Most people in Myanmar know what it means to live under a military dictatorship, and they have also acquired a taste for freedom and democracy, which is why there are so many people protesting, they would rather die than be subjected to a brutal military regime again.
What has happened in recent weeks is heartbreaking, where we see images of the military killing and mistreating peaceful protesters, with clear violations of human rights and the Geneva Commission.
One of the worst I’ve seen (and there’s a lot worse than this, because I am trying to stay away from watching the worst) was a video about how they abused innocent and defenseless health professionals, in which one of them died, just because they helped injured people who were protesting.
But what is perhaps most frustrating is to experience how the world community just are standing and watching.
They condemn it and impose some sanctions, but they can or will not do anything more.

Part of the key lies in China and neighboring countries, which have not condemned the military coup, but said it is only internal affairs.
One day my wife asked a bit angry, “Why can’t the UN or the United States intervene ?!” I said that it has a lot to do with China, which has major economic interests in Myanmar. “Then it is China that controls and rules this world!” Said my wife frustrated. Maybe she’s a bit right about that? If not the world, then much of Asia.

It has a lot to do with the economic interests as well probably? The West does not have a big economic interests in Myanmar, at least not compare to China.
This world is ruled by money, it is its god!

It has been very frustrating for me to see the indifference to the large and strong democracies countries and continents, which don’t do much, not everything is solved by condemning notes (which the military cares very little about) or boycotts.

Please remember to pray for Myanmar which is facing an uncertain time!

The one positive thing that is happening is that everyone are now gathering against the military regime. The country has been very divided due to many ethnic, religious and cultural groups and peoples, but it seems that they are more and more united, so keep praying for this to happen!