NAYPYIDAW, KOMPAS.com – Myanmar’s youth are fighting against the junta’s cutting off the internet and curbing the spread of information, by printing newsletters secretly and then distributing them throughout the community.
For 56 consecutive days there have been internet outages in coup-ridden Myanmar, according to the monitoring group NetBlocks.
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The country has been in turmoil since democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in a February 1 coup.
The action sparked a mass uprising, and was met with a crackdown by the authorities which brutally killed 700 civilians.
Lynn Thant (33 years old), not her real name, is the person who started this illegal newsletter. To attract the attention of young people, the name was made unique, namely Molotov.
“This is our response to those who slow down the flow of information – and it poses a threat to us,” he told AFP gazetted Sunday (11/4/2021).
Thousands of readers across the country can download a PDF version of the publication. Meanwhile physical copies were distributed throughout neighborhoods in Yangon and Mandalay and other areas.
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Lynn Thant was aware of the risks that lurked her.
Police and soldiers have arrested more than 3,000 people since the coup, according to the local monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
About 180 well-known celebrities including actors, singers and social media influencers are on the warrant for arrest warrants.
They could face up to three years in prison if found guilty of spreading dissent against the military.
“If we write revolutionary literature and distribute it like this, we could end up in prison for years,” he said, his face hidden by the Guy Fawkes mask popularized by the dystopian film “V for Vendetta”.
But according to him if one of his team is arrested, there will be other young people who will continue to produce the Molotov bulletin.
“Even if one of us is killed, someone else will appear when someone falls (dies). This Molotov Bulletin will continue to exist until the revolution ends and is successful. “
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He said that so far the publication had reached more than 30,000 people on Facebook. Its main readers are activists Generasi Z.
A copy of the newsletter is also distributed under the radar in the market.
Myanmar lived under military rule for 49 years before turning to democracy in 2011.
The country has a long history of “underground” publications trying to avoid junta repression.
Independent media are under threat, with 64 journalists arrested since the coup and 33 still in detention, according to monitoring group ASEAN Reporting.
The junta also revoked five media licenses
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