Control of Quarter Offices
The following thread was written yesterday by a vipassana meditator from the tradition of S.N. Goenka who is currently in Myanmar, who has played a pivotal role in the organization’s mission. For his safety, personal details have been obscured, but he has made it his desire that his observations be read by meditators everywhere.
Generally, all areas of Myanmar are divided into Divisions and then these Divisions are further divided into Townships. Each Township is then further broken down into Quarters with each Quarter assigned a name and number.
Every Quarter is governed by an ‘Quarter Oakkahhta’, a position which has a term of 5 years after which new elections are held. The Oakkahta is the highest ranking government official in each Quarter. This month in our Quarter elections were to be held for a new Oakkahta but in the aftermath of the coup these elections were cancelled. Instead, all current Oakkahtas who would not support the new military regime were removed from office and replaced by supporters of the coup. These replacements have largely been retired military personnel.
In my Quarter, as well as most every other Quarter, the people were outraged by this and have been fighting it by not recognizing the regime appointed Oakkahtas. A few days ago in our Quarter police arrived and posted on the Oakkahta’s office a sign saying, essentially, that the offices are now under the jurisdiction of the military regime and new locks were installed on the doors. This further inflamed the situation and within 30 minutes of being posted the signs were torn down.
Later that day, around 8 pm, about 700 to 900 residents peacefully marched through our Quarter shouting that they would never accept these changes and that it was the Constitutional right of the citizenry to choose their own government official. The march ended in front of the newly installed Oakkahtas’s apartment where they protested calling for him to resign. Rather than acknowledge the residents he instead did not show himself. I am told he has not been seen in public since. Later that night, and in violation of Martial Law, several hundred people gathered and took back control of the offices and installed numerous new locks on the doors. This was done without any intervention of the police or army. That was 4 days ago.
Today, around 6am, the police were back and removed all of the new locks and once again seized control of the offices. For some reason no alarm was sounded upon their arrival in our Quarter (the beating of pots and pans) and therefore no resistance could be made by the residents. From our balcony we could see the police leave and not a minute after they passed we could hear our neighbor saying not to worry because we will just take it back again.
By Midday today a plan was hatched to re-take the offices. Wanting to avoid a confrontation with the police when the offices were retaken a diversion was created to throw off the police. It was announced that at 3 pm citizens would once again march and at the conclusion take the offices back. But this turned out just to be a ruse. Shortly before 3 pm I was accidentally told that the CCTV cameras in the Quarter were already turned off which surprised me because at the same time I was told the march had been rescheduled for 5pm. As people gathered for the march at 3pm they were told that the time for the march and retaking the offices was delayed until 5pm and so the crowds dispersed. Unbeknownst to most of us that as soon as the crowds had gone home a group of residents quietly went to the offices and once again took control. So for now, it is back in the hands of the residents but it is doubtful that this will last for long. It is quite possible that at 8 pm tonight (which is when, each night, there is the beating of pots and pans for 20 minutes) that the police will return and once again seize control. But the people keep up the pressure.
Ultimately all of this will result in arrests and the government will likely be forced to post armed guards at the offices. But I am certain that there is already a plan in place for that eventuality. The people are adamant that the offices are rightfully under the jurisdiction of the people and if the past 4 weeks are any indication, they are not about to back down……….Dote Ayae!
Other News:
Today the violence against citizens was ratcheted up. It is thought that following the very moving speech by Myanmar Ambassador to the UN U Kyaw Moe Htun in which he announced his opposition to the Coup which apparently took the regime by complete surprise. I have now been able to confirm from a few sources, one of which is very reliable, that an emergency meeting of regime members was hastily called in Nay Pyi Daw following the speech. It is not known what was discussed but it is believed that it was decided that stronger action must be taken evidence for which is the bloody and prolonged violence of today.
A lot of gunfire today and severe beatings were occurring everywhere. I saw one incident where police, both uniformed and in civilian dress severely beat a man with batons and steel pipes until he could no longer stand. After a minute or so with him still on the ground they beat him again. And then, once again they came back and beat him for a third time! After that I could watch no longer and closed the video I was given. While I have seen others beaten and even killed, this was by far the most despicable and brutal act I have seen.