Myanmar Copper Miners Join Anti-Coup Strike
By Zaw Zaw Htwe 6 February 2021
YANGON – Hundreds of Myanmar workers at the Chinese-back Kyisintaung copper mines in Sagaing Region have joined the civil disobedience movement against Myanmar’s military coup.
Around 300 out of 2,000 miners stopped work on Friday at the Kyisintaung copper mines in Monywa District, which has been a joint venture between the military-owned Myanma Economic Holding Public Co. Ltd. (MEHL) and Myanmar Yang Tse Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Beijing-based Wanbao Mining Limited, since 2010.
The rest of the miners have joined the red-ribbon campaign to show their defiance against military rule, according to Ko Sithu Tun, a senior maintenance mechanic at the project.
“We will be on strike until our elected leaders receive their power back. As a citizen, we are responsible and we must join this movement,” Ko Sithu Tun told The Irrawaddy on Saturday.
Currently, thousands of government staff across Myanmar are participating in the disobedience movement that was launched by hundreds of doctors and nurses on Wednesday to defy military rule.
The movement has called for the release of President U Win Myint, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, other senior government members and public figures who have been arrested since Monday’s coup.
The movement also called the parliament to convene with the democratically elected parliamentarians who won seats in the November 8 general election.
The detained state counselor also called on the public to oppose and resist the military coup in a prepared Facebook message.
As of Friday, thousands of government staff from the Labor, Transport, Health, Education, Information, Foreign Affairs, Electricity and Energy and Social Welfare and Relief and Resettlement ministries have joined the campaign against the coup.
Meanwhile, peaceful protesters have been clapping, releasing red balloons, honking car horns and banging pots and pans at 8pm every night across the country with the movement gaining momentum.
The National League for Democracy on Friday issued a statement saying it appreciated the peaceful protests.
