While Asean leaders are meeting in Laos to put a peace process in Burma back on track, the Burmese police continue to repress all dissent.
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Paing Phyo Min knew that the army of Burma was looking for him. On Wednesday evening, October 9, he was arrested after authorities infiltrated his residence in eastern Yangon. Leader of the “Rangoon Anti-Junta Alliance”, the young artist and former member of the student union has long been a pet peeve of the army.
Already in 2019, when the Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi was still in power, Paing Phyo Min was sentenced to six years in prison. His crime: with his troupe of comedians Peacock Generation, the poet, then aged 23, went on stage to make fun of the army using the traditional Burmese art of thangyat, halfway between slam, dance and theater. “ The thangyat is a symbol of democracy », Confided Paing Phyo Min. Disguised as soldiers, his group had criticized the lust for power and corruption among the military. An unacceptable provocation for the generals.
Released in 2021, Paing Phyo Min became one of the leaders of the protest when the army took power. Today, he is paying a high price with this new arrest. Contacted by AFP, the junta did not react immediately. “ We are very concerned for his life and safety said Nan Lin, a member of the “Rangoon Anti-Junta Alliance”.
Since the 2021 military coup, 27,000 people have been arrested by security forces.