⏩ Solidarity rally:
Hundreds march on Golden Gate Bridge in support of Myanmar's people.
Zar Ni Maung fled Myanmar in 1989 for the Bay Area after the country, formerly called Burma, had a nationwide uprising against military power in 1988.
On Sunday, he was one of hundreds in San Francisco who walked the Golden Gate Bridge in solidarity with the people of Myanmar who have been protesting since the military seized power in a coup there on Feb. 1.
Zar Ni Maung said videos on social media that show military officers attacking peaceful protesters reminded him of what it was like 33 years ago when he was a firstyear college student during the studentled movement in the summer of 1988.
“I’m very concerned about the kids because what we have seen in 1988,” Zar Ni Maung said. “As far as I’m concerned, (the military) are armed terrorists taking over the country and terrorizing (people) using weapons.”
Hundreds of people — many of whom wore red and raised their hands in a threefinger salute — walked halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge with signs that read “Stop the coup” and “Save Myanmar.” The hand gesture — adopted by Myanmar demonstrators — is from the film “The Hunger Games,” and symbolizes resistance and solidarity.
Myanmar had transitioned into a democratic government in 2011 after the military had ruled the country since 1962. According to the BBC, the ruling military changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, and some countries initially refused to use the name. But “Myanmar” has become increasingly common, and in 2016, the country’s elected civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said either name is acceptable, according to the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The recent coup brought Myanmar back under military control after it refused to accept the Nov. 8 election results. Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, won the election, but the armed forces backed the opposition, which had claimed widespread fraud, according to the New York Times. The election commission said no evidence supported these claims.
Numerous countries and the U.N. secretarygeneral have condemned the takeover, the BBC reported. The U.S. and Britain have responded with sanctions on military officials.
The military announced a oneyear state of emergency and has detained Aung San Suu Kyi, Cabinet ministers, writers and activists. Police and military officers have killed at least 54 people since the coup, the United Nations said Thursday.
Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist teacher and a cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, organized the walk with Patty Curran, executive director of Partners Asia.
“Our goal is to remind the people of Burma that they are in our hearts,” Kornfield said. “That we march and walk in solidarity with love and kindness and peace.”
“To be able to send this message of solidarity at a time when they can use the hope is really important,” Curran said. “They’re not forgotten.”
Gloria Neumeier, who lives in Marin County, said she taught civic education to Burmese college students in 2012 after the transition to a civilian government. Universities were shut down after the 1988 movement and reopened in 1991, according to the New York Times.
“I came because I respect those people in Burma that are really struggling. The military are scared. They know that the world is changing,” said Neumeier, 90.
Chaw Tun traveled from Las Vegas with her friend to San Francisco for the walk “to show that we’re here in spirit supporting (the people of Burma) and letting them know that their voices are heard through us since they can’t share or report anything.”
She said that her family members who live Myanmar have moved into one home to keep each other safe. She and her parents have been communicating with their family through Facebook.
She said she hopes the walk will bring not only attention to Myanmar, but also international intervention.
“This is the least we can do,” Tun said about the walk. “My fear is (for this) to be yesterday’s news and nothing has changed.”