This week, Myanmar lost a good man, an artistic mind, a budding journalist, and advocate for human rights. The cruel loss of our nation’s best and brightest, our very hope for the future, has become a daily occurrence. We mourn and grieve every one of our brothers and sisters taken from us by the callous indifference and petulant rage of the military. But the killing of our brother Soe Naing shows yet again the true barbarism of this military.

The 10^th of December saw one of the Myanmar people’s greatest and most ingenious forms of opposition to the unjust, undemocratic, and mercilessly cruel military dictatorship. Silent strikes are a powerful statement against the ruling junta. They show nation-wide solidarity against oppression and dictatorship simply by staying home. coordinating tens of millions of people in an act of silent defiance, thus proving that the country has NOT returned to normal, and that the people do NOT accept the self-appointed military government. It is a way for people to strike at the heart of the economy and vital industries without harming or threatening a soul.

Such protests aggravate the military because for much of the protests, the military repeatedly called on people to stay home and stay silent. The military’s reasoning being that large gatherings on the street or coordinated displays of pot banging or chanting would send the image to the world that the military are not in control of the country – because they aren’t. The military has for months beaten, detained, and killed protesters, keyboard warriors, journalists, and even random people in their own homes for no reason. The message was clear – any protest, any act of defiance, any criticism of the military would attract a violent and indiscriminate crack down. Silent strikes are the people’s somewhat ironic response to the military’s abuse. A protest in which no-one is seen to protest. In which no-one can be targeted. Where despite shutting down an entire city, no-one is guilty of anything more than complying with the military’s instructions to stay home and stay quiet. The goal was a nation-wide protest with no casualties.

Sadly, the military would not allow that to happen. Silent strikes only work if the world knows about them. They serve as proof of the people’s resilience and opposition to the dictatorship, but they must be seen. The eerie stillness and silence of a previously vibrant bustling metropolis must be witnessed for it to have its intended effect. To this end, many brave journalists and activists upload videos and images of once noisy and crowded streets and markets now fallen dead quiet. The military has been tracking these images and videos on social media. They have been quick to identify the locations being photographed and to dispatch soldiers to scour the areas hoping to threaten and intimidate any of the locals into revealing the identities of the citizen-journalists.

Ko Soe Naing, was one such citizen journalist. During the silent strike he and a fellow journalist braved the township of Latha, in downtown Yangon to record the events for posterity, and to raise awareness. Unfortunately, they were caught by the military while they were out. Being on the street is not a crime. There was no curfew in effect and it is unknown what justification the military had in detaining the journalists. However, as they were searched and were found to have cameras, they were assumed to be journalists – also not a crime – and were detained. Soe Naing was detained 

and tortured for three days before his family was contacted by the military and informed that they could collect his dead body from the military hospital in Yangon. No official cause of death has been released, and his detention remains unjustified. Ko Soe Naing leaves behind his wife and his child.

Although the military have killed over 1,300 civilians since the coup, many of them during illegal detentions, the murder of Soe Naing stands out as the first confirmed killing of a journalist in custody. The military have made it clear that if they can’t silence dissent, they can at least silence those who share proof of this dissent with the world. If they can’t control the Myanmar people, they can at least stop the Myanmar people from getting their message out to the international community. It is our duty to ensure this never comes to pass. We will do everything to honour the legacy of those fallen in opposition to this savage regime, and we will keep the world informed of the military’s many crimes against humanity. We will never permit ignorance to be an excuse for inaction against the Tatmadaw, nor will we permit the military to project its propaganda unchallenged. 

To the best of our knowledge, despite not having committed any crimes, Soe Naing’s as-yet unnamed journalist partner is still in detention, and is almost certainly suffering unspeakable torture. We pray for his safety and swift release, and urge the world to take note of the thousands of unlawfully detained political prisoners who are suffering in horrendous conditions as a barbaric warning to the tens of millions of Myanmar civilians to stop resisting the junta’s cruelty, to give up their dreams for democracy, and silently accept the way of the lash and boot heel. 

Sincerely,

H.E. Dr. Sasa
Union Minister of Ministry of International Cooperation
Spoke Person of Nation Unity Government
Former Special Envoy to United Nations