The military’s ‘heart of darkness’ in Myanmar
The military and its brutal practices have been on the global stage since a coup last month. The generals are now fully back in charge, and the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has turned its guns on the masses, who have mounted a nationwide civil disobedience movement.
But the military has a long legacy of atrocities that has instilled an omnipresent fear in Myanmar.
During the last three years, the Tatmadaw has waged war against ethnic rebel armies in three states, Rakhine, Shan and Kachin, displacing 700,000 Rohingya Muslims. Survivors and witnesses described to us the campaign, which has included killings, systemic r*** and abuse. Men and boys were often used as human shields by the soldiers.
In October, Sayedul Amin, a 28-year-old Rohingya man, was fishing when he and others were rounded up by soldiers. “We were ordered to walk in front of the soldiers,” he said. “It seems that they wanted us to shield them if anyone attacked.” He was hit by two bullets.
Quotable: “This is an army with a heart of darkness,” said David Scott Mathieson, an independent analyst. “This is an unrepentant institution.”
Context: Brutality is ingrained in the Tatmadaw. It first came to power in a 1962 coup, saying that it had to safeguard national unity. For decades, it has fought to control parts of the country inhabited by minority groups that are rich in jade, timber and other natural resources.
Finances: The Tatmadaw draws revenue from a lucrative business empire, reports the BBC.
The New York Times