A Righteous Policeman
Kyaw San Han describes the Burmese police as being tightly controlled by the military, with a pervasive culture of fear, corruption, and brutality. The police force operates under the command of military leaders, and many officers are transferred from the military, bringing a militaristic mindset into the police. This structure ensures that the police serve the military's agenda rather than protecting civilians. He notes that the police are indoctrinated to believe they are defending the nation, but in reality, they are ordered to suppress dissent, often violently, with little regard for the law. Many police officers, even those sympathetic to democracy, feel trapped by the fear of punishment or arrest, leading them to follow orders even when they involve torturing and killing civilians. Corruption is rampant, with promotions offered in exchange for loyalty to the regime, incentivizing police to act against the civilian population. Despite this, some officers, like Kyaw San Han, as he described on a recent podcast episode, resist these pressures and refuse to harm protesters, though they face immense danger for doing so.
“The head of police threatened me and my family, that if we stand up for democracy, if we join CDM and oppose the junta, we would be arrested quickly, easily, and we will get killed in the prison”
“Before the coup, I could say that many policemen, police officers, they were not satisfied with the military, or the police officers who transferred from the military, but due to the fear, they could not do anything. After the coup, in the beginning of the coup, some policemen, they wished to oppose the junta. They wished to stand up for the democracy. However, the junta leaders, they took serious action against these policemen, arresting those policemen, including their families.
Even senior police officers who criticized the junta or the military coup, they were arrested. That is why after the military coup, when these kinds of cases happened, many policemen, they could not dare to stand up for democracy. They could not join the CDM [Civil Disobedience Movement] to oppose the junta. The fear is the main weapon that is used by the junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing and the regime. So, policemen, they are afraid; they are worried about their safety and their families’ safety. Even if they wish to stand up for democracy, they don't dare. Even now.
Inside, they might have some democracy mindset; they know that the junta is bad, the military coup was not fair. But they cannot do anything, just go along with the junta leader’s orders. So, some good policemen, they joined the CDM. And now they’ve disappeared. Some were arrested or somewhere in border areas. Even now, they don't dare to show up on social media or anywhere. They are in fear. That is why I planned everything confidentially to take my family out of police apartment in Naypyidaw, because there were junta civilians by my head of division in Naypyidaw. I had to secretly leave out of Myanmar. Otherwise, since the military coup happened, my head of police, head of division, seriously threatened me and my family, that if we stand up for democracy, if we join CDM and oppose the junta, we would be arrested quickly, easily, and we will get killed in the prison. That fear was very serious, very big to us, not to oppose the junta.
But they could not stop me, because I knew that the military coup was not fair. And the leader, the junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, he had no mercy to civilians. He is crazy for his power, to protect his power only. As you know, just recently, the Myanmar junta declared that military service is law, and now has come to be enforced. So every young person in Myanmar must serve for the military. That is very ridiculous. He is using our civilians to protect himself. Not for the country.”