Committee formed to crack down on politically instigated protests

16 July 2016
Committee formed to crack down on politically instigated protests
Myanmar Police block the road as they halt student protesters in Yangon on 10 March 2015. Photo: Mizzima

Controversy surrounds a crisis management committee that was formed by the new government to tackle protests.
The President’s Office made an announcement on July 15 that a Crisis Management Committee had been formed on July 12 with 11 members led by the Vice-President (2) with the objective of cracking down on politically instigated and motivated protest demonstrations.
Several observers have expressed concerns over the purpose and methods being proposed.
Moe Thway from National Youth Congress said: “We have already have the State Defence and Security Council even though even before we had such a crisis management committee. This Security and Defence Council is for such emergency and crisis situations. I don’t see this crisis management committee as essential for us but I don’t see it as a problem. This is not an issue. Some of the objectives and functions of this committee mentioned in this announcement are so bad, I assume.”
The mission and functions of this committee are said to include launching counter protest demonstrations against politically instigated and motivated general strikes, gathering information for the prevention of protest, unrest and violence and taking on-site records of protest, unrest and violence and using them for countering malicious campaigns against the government.
Moe Thway added and pointed out: “Launching counter demonstration should not be done by the government. This is what the previous military regimes did during their rule.”
Similarly political analysts pointed out and criticized some missions and functions of the committee such as establishing people-centred policing in cooperation with the Myanmar Police Force and in affiliation with home guard or civil guard units in townships, wards and village-tracts and obtaining assistance from social organizations. In addition, concern has been voiced over the potential to launch a counter-media campaign against “media instigation”.
A political observer and analyst Yan Myo Thein pointed out that establishing people-centred policing in cooperation with Myanmar Police Force and in affiliation with home guard or civil guards in townships, wards and village-tracts may lead to the tactics used by successive military governments where thugs were used.
Moreover he wrote on social media about his worry over the idea of “launching counter-media campaigns against media instigation.”
News and media are the eyes and ears of the people and it is the fourth estate in the country as the checks and balances to the three main pillars of sovereignty, namely executive, legislature and judiciary. The announcement seems to deny this right, he wrote. The successive governments see media as the bodies instigating the people to revolt against them and this government seems to see media in the same light as being an enemy and has the tendency to oppress and suppress the media, he said.
The mission statement of the committee includes providing effective prevention methods to deal with racial and religious communal riots, including on a nationwide scale, done from behind the scenes.
The announcement also includes detailed action plans for conducting rehearsals to tackle unrest and violence, carried out in consultation with the various government ministries and local regions.