CDM in Mawlamyine
We have sent a portion of the funds from the Art Auction fundraiser in New York City to a trusted contact who has been overseeing support to CDM employees in Mawlamyine. Following they have provided us background as to the status of the movement in their region. We will continue to supply their reports and updates, and please earmark their group if you would like to contribute a donation to support them!
With claims of “fraudulent ballots”, the Military coup d'état began on the 1st of February 2021 in Myanmar. by detaining political leaders and blacking out the internet in the country. The military or the Tatmadaw declared a state of emergency for one year and claimed the state's powers in the hands of the Commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing.
In response, the people of Myanmar have been demonstrating various means of defiance throughout the country. They comprise the red ribbon movement, the pot banging movement, boycotting military-related businesses, social media campaigns, nationwide demonstrations, and the civil disobedience movement.
The first form of protest is the Red Ribbon Movement in which public servants wear red ribbons in office hours and display their revolt. However, fuelled by much activism, it later evolved into the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) that encourages civil servants to stop going to the office at all. CDM is also based upon not recognizing the military regime and refusing to work under its authority. It is believed this will deter the bureaucracy of the junta from functioning and ultimately undermine its legitimacy.
CDM was initiated by the healthcare staff of public hospitals on Feb 3rd, 2021 It then spread to other public sectors including the central level staff in Naypyitaw, the capital. Also in Mawlamyine, Mon State, the Mawlamyine hospital doctors involved at an early date of the countrywide CDM followed by other healthcare staff in the public health department, staff from the Department of Education, university teachers, and staff from the Myanmar Railway Department. Members of these organizations are involved not only in the CDM movement but also in the demonstrations themselves.
Mawlamyine is the capital city of Mon State in Myanmar and it hosts a variety of government departments comprising offices at state-, district- and township-levels. Thus, Mawlamyine holds a strategic position for CDM scaling-up. A noticeable number of CDM staff come from the health, education, transportation, and administration sectors.
It is also noted that information is difficult to follow in this context. For instance, certain information such as the number of CDM employees in a particular department is hard to obtain. Even if possible, this would pose a potential threat to those employees, by exposing them to the scrutiny of the junta.
Hence, to fuel the current momentum of various campaigns, it has become essential to support the CDM employees as it will not only encourage them but also raise people’s morale as a whole.