This blog has been sadly neglected over the last couple of years – but it still gets regular traffic from people interested in Myanmar. So, here are some resources for learning more about the resistance to the military coup and for what you can do.

Reading

One way of being better placed to support the opposition to the military coup in Myanmar is by reading up on the situation. Here are some pieces that I’ve picked up on that highlight the breadth of the movement and its transformative effects.

• Workers in Myanmar Are Launching General Strikes to Resist the Military Coup https://jacobinmag.com/2021/03/myanmar-burma-general-strike-coup/
• Myanmar women risk it all to challenge the junta https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/3/8/myanmar-women-risk-it-all-to-challenge-the-junta
• In Myanmar, LGBT+ people join anti-coup protests with rainbow flags https://www.reuters.com/article/myanmar-politics-lgbt-rights-idUSL8N2KT0AV
• Myanmar’s protests have unified a disparate country, but including the Rohingya can help defeat the coup https://www.abc.net.au/religion/myanmar-the-rohingya-can-help-defeat-the-coup/13155924
• Inside Myanmar’s crackdown https://www.aljazeera.com/program/101-east/2021/3/11/inside-myanmars-crackdown
• A day of tragedy and terror in Hlaing Tharyar https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/a-day-of-tragedy-and-terror-in-hlaing-tharyar/

Donating

There are a number of fundraisers out there, and it can be challenging to know which are legitimate. These four are good initiatives that are getting money through to people on the ground:

• Mutual Aid Myanmar https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/
• Friends of Myanmar https://chuffed.org/project/support-the-myanmar-people-in-their-fight-for-freedom
• All Burma Federation of Trade Unions https://www.gofundme.com/f/abftu
• Myanmar Communities Against the Coup https://chuffed.org/project/myanmar-activists-emergency-funds

Organizing

If you are a member of a trade union, you could submit a motion in solidarity the Civil Disobedience Movement in Myanmar to your local branch.

You can write to your Member of Parliament and the Foreign Secretary urging the government to not recognise the military regime’s State Administration Council and to instead endorse the Committee Representing the Phyidaugsu Hluttaw as the legitimate voice of the Burmese people. Here’s a good template to work from: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B-KHhoDQIzk8GUG_zvzfx3UGAkGeJkZH/view

Lobby apparel brands to act to end the intimidation of garment workers striking to end the military coup. Here’s a petition you can sign: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/adidas-zara-and-lidl-support-the-civil-disobedience-movement-cdm-in-myanmar

Spread the word

Tell people about what’s happening and what they can do. Share what you learn and what you are doing across your social media platforms. Be a witness to what is happening. Be an ally to the Civil Disobedience Movement.