Tatmadaw leader urges civil servants to return to work amid continued protests


Tatmadaw leader urges civil servants to return to work amid continued protests

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has asked civil servants to prioritise the interests of the state over their personal feelings and return to work as soon as possible.


The senior general in his February 11 situation report also warned that those pressuring government employees to participate in a nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) would be punished. 

Earlier, the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) released a statement urging institutions such as the International Labour Organization, United Nations and foreign embassies to support civil servants in protesting for their right to freedom of expression. 


The CTUM also denounced the use of intimidation by the government on employees involved in the CDM, including threats to sack them and force them to relinquish government housing. 

The CTUM’s statement referenced a letter from the Department of Labour of Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population to staff saying that officials who did not return to work by February 11 and 15 would be charged under the Civil Service Law. Penalties include suspension of promotions and termination of employment and other benefits such as housing and loans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 10 issued a similar letter after some 90 staff left work to participate in the movement in both its Yangon office and Nay Pyi Taw headquarters. 

The CDM was initiated by health workers on February 2, a day after the military took power and announced a state of emergency. Professionals and workers from every sector of the economy have since joined the movement. Reports of those reluctant to participate being harassed by their colleagues to do so have also emerged.

Civil servants are among the latest to join the CDM, which is spreading across the nation. In Sagaing Region, about 20,000 people, most of them civil servants from the Sagaing General Hospital, Ministry of Electricity and Energy, Department of Forestry,  marched through the city to protest against military coup on February 10.


Similarly in Shwe Pyi Thar township, Yangon, civil servants from state-owned Myanmar Economic Bank, Department of Electricity, the General Administration Department and public schools took to the streets. 

Meanwhile, support for the movement has also grown. Elected representatives of Shwe Pyi Thar township said they are ready to assist those in need of food and lodging and will also help when it comes to legal matters, said U Aung Zaw Htwe, elected representative of No.1 constituency in Shwe Pyi Thar Township, told the Myanmar Times. 

In Sagaing, donors are also providing food and water, while the Sagaing Emergency Rescue team and social welfare organisations were on standby. Some collected garbage left by the protesters. - Translated

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