Burma’s 2021 coup and the ongoing crisis on the Thai-Burma Border

Burma’s 2021 coup and the ongoing crisis on the Thai-Burma Border

*By Hayso Thako, SPHERE Institute

In 2018, the Burma Army increased its militarization – patrols and fortifying its camps in violation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Recent breaches international law by the Burma military – airstrikes, artillery bombardments, burning of houses, and extension of patrols into areas people formerly considered safe, have become a significant security threat to local villagers and a cause of mass displacement.

Burma has experienced successive military coups since 1962 when General Ne Win took power. Since then, the country has been ruled by a series of military regimes. The 2021 coup led General Min Aung Hlaing, followed a short period of political reform, overthrew Burma’s elected government on 1 February 2021. The 2021 military coup was meet with nationwide protests involving workers, transport workers, miners, lawyers, health workers, artists, students, teachers and citizens. After the military responded with lethal force, protestors began to arm themselves and formed People Defense Forces under the guidance of Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs).

A State Administration Council (SAC) was appointed by the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) days after the coup. The SAC began amending Penal Codes and banning peaceful protests, public gatherings, imposed overnight curfews, cutting off internet connections and mandatory reporting of overnight visitors. Independent media were closed down and journalists jailed for criticizing the military, the coup and SAC. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) estimates, as of 15 May 2023, that a total of 3,517 people have been killed by the military and 22,317 arrested, 18,005 are currently still in detention. It is estimated more than 5,000 protestors (Civil Disobedience Movement) took refuge with the KNU at the beginning of the coup.

The Burma military, since its coup in 2021, as part of its clearance operations, have used ground artillery and airstrikes in Karen State causing mass displacement in Karen State. This has resulted in farmers unable to harvest or plant their crops causing concerns there will be shortages of rice supplies in the near future . Villagers are scared to return to their homes as airstrikes continue. For those living close to the border – women and children cross to the Thai side to try to escape the constant threat of airstrikes. Only a few men dare to go back and check their properties or tend to their animals.

In the eastern part of Karen State where fighting has been intense since December 2021, villagers were unable to sell their produce to Thailand as border crossings were transportation and communications infrastructure is poor in northern Karen State and most consumer products are bought and imported from Thailand. This proved problematic during the Covid19 pandemic as Thailand imposed travel restrictions and closed its border from early 2020.

The mass displacement has caused huge disruption to education. The Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD) and the Karen Refugee Committee Education Entity(KRCEE) are the main community-led organizations providing and managing education in the Thai-Burma border region. KECD operates in Karen State in KNU’s self-administered areas and KRCEE runs schools in the nine Karen refugee camps along the Thai Burma border. Students cross the border to either attend schools in the refugee camps or in the KNU controlled areas.

Since the military coup in February 2021, most schools under KECD continued to operate whether in classroom-settings or in displaced areas. However, due to the threat of the ongoing airstrikes in northern and eastern Karen State, schools were forced to stop. School buildings were destroyed by airstrikes. Security is a top priority as fighting has spread across the Karen State. It became difficult to organized school activities and delivering school materials is a challenge. Due to border crossing restrictions, it is difficult for students to travel and study at the refugee Thai’s border camps.

Since the coup, KECD has received many students abandoning government schools because of the military crackdown. Schools in Burma are understaffed as many teachers left in protest to join Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). CDM’s teachers also teach at KECD. It is predicted more students will join KECD schools in the coming year.

KNU is struggling to regain territory occupied by the Burma Army. Schooling and education is an important area where the KNU could re-establish their administration. Under decades of military rule, territorial expansion was one of the military government’s strategies to control ethnic minorities, including the Karen. In KNU self-administered areas, especially in the east and southwest, most schools were run under mixed administrations, that is, KNU and the Burmese government. Since the coup, many schools are now run under the KNU-KECD administration.

Karen State which borders Thailand, experienced one of the longest civil wars in southeast Burma. Most schools are run and supported by the community during armed conflict. In the same way in Thai’s border camps, refugee education remains one of the most progressive systems outside of the international system. For the last few decades both KECD and KRCEE have been trying to provide education opportunities and to make sure children in armed conflict and during displacement, continue to receive their education. Currently, KECD provide more than 150,000 students with both basic and higher education in southeast Burma. KRCEE, under the leadership of Karen Refugee Committee, is now offering education to more than 18,000 students from nursery to tertiary education.

However, without external support, it will be challenged to maintain quality education, both in Karen State and in the Karen refugee camps in Thailand. This will result in children being deprived of basic and quality education without support from international communities. This will result in students dropping out as fighting continues in Karen State as more people face long-term displacement.

Therefore, some of the possible steps we can take to meet the needs of the people who are currently being displaced in Karen State and along the Thai-Burma border include: immediate support – foods, shelter, sanitation/water, electricity, healthcare and education; relocation support needs to be prepared; a safe corridor to allow humanitarian support; protection mechanism needs to be set up for new refugees arrivals; and psycho-social support for children, women and men affected by war.

After two years since the military coup in 2021, the military regime continues to face resistance from civilians through the Civil Disobedience Movement, local People Defense Forces and ongoing resistance from the Ethnic Armed Organizations. It is estimated more than 1,500, 000 people have been displaced since the coup; health and education sectors have been greatly affected as schools have been forced to close and health workers join CDM. The current country’s economy is also in freefall.

Civil societies and community-based-organizations are trying to provide emergency support to IDPs and refugees through their international partners. Ethnic national education organizations are providing educational assistance and maintaining their schooling system so children in conflict-affected areas can continue their education. However, it is likely that the country will face a humanitarian crisis as fighting intensifies between the combined forces of democratic resistance groups and Burma Army, unless there is an immediate solution between the parties involved in conflict.