‘Demanding justice’: Hundreds protest in Perth against Myanmar military coup

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‘Demanding justice’: Hundreds protest in Perth against Myanmar military coup

By Lauren Pilat

Hundreds of Perth Myanmar Community members took to Parliament House on Monday to protest against the military coup that has killed about 18 people in the southeastern Asian nation.

Undeterred by the downpour in Perth on the Labour Day public holiday, the group, including family members of Australian citizens stuck in Myanmar, took a stand to seek justice and urge Australian governments to support innocent people caught up in the civil unrest.

Hundreds protested the Myanmar miltary coup with placards urging the southeastern nation’s president be released.

Hundreds protested the Myanmar miltary coup with placards urging the southeastern nation’s president be released. Credit: Daniel Lian

It comes after security forces in Myanmar opened fire and made mass arrests on Sunday as they sought to break up protests against the military’s seizure of power, with reports of at least 18 people killed and 30 wounded.

Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1 after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders, with the army alleging the recent landslide election win by Ms Suu Kyi’s party was marred by fraud. She urged supporters to “protest against the coup”.

At the second protest in Perth against the coup, the impassioned crowd held signs urging their leader and president be released and some accusing the military of being terrorists for ‘killing humanity’.

The crowd used the three-fingered salute that originated in the Hunger Games film series now adopted by activists from Thailand to Myanmar, becoming a symbol of resistance and solidarity for democracy movements across South East Asia.

Their chants in Burmese of ‘Myanmar military coup, we reject, we reject’ and ‘Free Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees, right now, right now’, could be heard along with songs sung in the 1988 Myanmar protests kilometres from Parliament House.

People travelled from all over the state, from as far as Albany to be there.

Perth resident Katie McGrath, whose brother has lived in Myanmar for five years and is stuck there, said the protest was the least she and her family could do after a month of feeling helpless.

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“We have spent the last four weeks watching helplessly, losing contact with him intermittently and worrying for the safety of him, his friends and the innocent people of Myanmar,” she said.

“Being able to protest today and bring awareness to the atrocities currently taking place felt like the least I could do.”

Some protestors accussed the Myanmar military of being terroists.

Some protestors accussed the Myanmar military of being terroists. Credit: Daniel Lian

Ms McGrath visited Myanmar a year ago and said she was welcomed everywhere she travelled, never once feeling unsafe.

“The people of Myanmar are among the kindest I have ever met, many of them don’t have much but would give you everything,” she said.

“It’s heartbreaking now to see them yet again having to fight for something we take for granted.”

Myanmar national Stephanie Havock, who was part of the student-led movement calling for democracy in 1988 as part of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, said she felt the same pain now for her country and people as she did back then.

“We protested in Myanmar for about two months but had to run away from and hide in the jungle to get away from the military who were killing innocent people, and now the same thing is happening,” she said.

“Myanmar people have only tasted democracy for about six years but now the military are again ignoring the structure and killing innocent people with the students again having to start a revolution.”

After living in the Myanmar jungle for about three years, Mrs Havock escaped to Thailand and arrived in Australia in 1992.

At least 18 people have been killed in Myanmar.

At least 18 people have been killed in Myanmar. Credit: Daniel Lian

“We love our country and we have visited many times since coming to Australia,” she said.

“We thought it had changed and so we’re really disappointed, sad, emotional and hurt.”

Gloria Kennedy, an Australian born Karen (an ethnic tribe in Myanmar), said protestors were seeking support from the Australian government and the United Nations.

“We want democracy for our homeland and we want freedom for those living in fear,” she said.

“For so long the military has oppressed the innocent people of Myanmar, specifically the ethnic minorities and the recent coup has demonstrated the harsh reality of the brutality of the militaristic agenda.”

Ms Kennedy’s aunties and uncles protested in the 1988 nationwide democracy uprising which ended in a harsh military crackdown.

She said they continued to protest today and now the next generation was having to do the same.

“Now is the time for the next generation to rise up and fight for our people,” she said. “We don’t fear the military therefore we will sacrifice anything for justice.

“We are demanding justice and seeking help from our government and the UN, the people are suffering and dying for the price of democracy.”

Ms Kennedy, whose parents migrated to Australia in 1992 looking for a better life, said visiting her homeland ignited a passion to make a change which led her to study political sciences and international relations at UWA.

Her family had been separated during the civil unrest in Myanmar, with her father reuniting with his brother 30 years later in Australia in 2005. Her uncle left his family to serve in the Karen rebel army and came to Australia as a refugee from Thailand.

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