But the most permanent form of protest is, perhaps, tattooing.
From big cities like Yangon and Mandalay, to Shan state Nyaung Shwe, a small town near the popular Inle Lake resort, protesters are being buried by democracy.
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A protester gets a three-fingered greeting tattoo, a popular gesture from “The Hunger Games,” seen at protests in Myanmar. Scroll through the gallery for more information. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
“Tattoos are a lasting memory for a lifetime and a way to express our dreams. They cannot be removed and therefore show our solidarity. It unites us to the protesters,” said Htun Htun, a resident of Nyaung Shwe, originally from Yangon.
Htun Htun was one of about 70 people who took part in a tattoo protest in Nyaung Shwe on Friday.
The event, organized by a group of local youth from the Intha ethnic minority, invited residents to get a protest tattoo to raise funds for the civil disobedience movement, or MDL. The movement has seen thousands of white and blue leather workers, from doctors, bankers and lawyers to teachers, engineers and factory workers, leave their jobs as a form of resistance to the February 1 military coup. .
Protesters in Nyaung Shwe on March 5, 2021, demonstrating their support for the civil disobedience movement. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
Eight tattoo artists inked dozens of participants who were asked for a minimum donation of $ 2. Each tattoo took about 20 minutes to complete, and for speed, participants had a choice of four styles: the face of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the words “spring revolution,” the phrase Kabar Ma Kyay Bu “(which refers to a protest song and means” we will not forget until the end of the world “) and the ubiquitous “three-fingered greeting” from the “Hunger Games” films, which has become a symbol of resistance in protests in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.
The most popular design? A sketch of Suu Kyi’s face.
A protester shows off his new tattoos. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
“I got a tattoo because I love Aung San Suu Kyi and I admire people who stand up and suffer under a dictatorship. Getting a tattoo is painful, but it’s nothing compared to the pain of our heart ( caused by the coup) .I want freedom back, “said Moh Moh, a 26-year-old participant who did not want to provide her full name for security reasons.
“The tattoo campaign was our own idea: it’s a group of tattoo artists who use the event to support the CDM. What’s happening right now with the protests is more troubling than Covid,” he said. organizer Nyi Nyi Lwin.
He said the event was affected by recent deadly crackdowns on peaceful protesters by Myanmar security forces, with some people fearing the rumor that police they arrive to arrest the attendees.
Ongoing clashes
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested, charged or convicted by the military junta since it took power, according to the monitoring group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP). Many of these people are removed from their homes during night raids by police and military personnel, and relatives are often unsure of where to detain them.
“Protests continue despite innocent people dying at the hands of the military,” said one tattoo artist, who kept the three-fingered salute but did not want to be named for security reasons. “This situation must be stopped. We are protesting for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy.”
As in the “Hunger Games” movies, the greeting has become a symbol of resistance among a loose collection of Asian activists called the Milk Tea Alliance because of its popularity. of drinking in places shaken by protests. The movement, which began as a hashtag to protest online harassment of Chinese nationalists, has grown to include members from Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar and even India.
The members they support the struggle of others for democracy and have adopted a similar iconography in each country’s protests, including slogans, protest signs, familiar uniforms of helmets and goggles, protest tactics and three-finger greeting.
A demonstration in Nyaung Shwe on March 5, 2021. Credit: Robert Bociaga for CNN
The popularity of the symbol in Nyaung Shwe’s tattoo protest is indicative of how far the movement has spread, and how visual dissent is spilling over into smaller, more remote parts of Myanmar.
Problematic past
Not far from Nyaung Shwe, located in the Shan Hills, is the Inle Lake resort. In recent weeks, thousands of people have organized a unique form of protest on the lake: gathering in traditional wooden boats and fishing ships, holding oars and signs expressing opposition to the military government.
Protesters wearing traditional Shan costumes hold oars and signs as they participate in a demonstration against Myanmar’s military coup on Inle Lake on February 11, 2021. Credit: Calito / AFP / Getty Images
Protests have also erupted near other iconic Burmese landmarks, including the UNESCO-declared site of Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its thousands of ancient pagodas and temples.
From Yangon to the capital Naypyidaw, and even among Burmese migrants in Thailand, people are tattooing the face of 75-year-old Suu Kyi on her chest and arms. Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner Suu Kyi led Myanmar as the first civilian leader since ending the military government in 2011.
Protesters who took part in a February 11, 2021 demonstration against Myanmar’s military coup in Bagan, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Credit: STR / AFP / Getty Images
In 1988, Aung Soe, 49, took part in mass pro-democracy protests known as the 8888 Revolt, which were violently repressed by the military and eventually ended in a military coup.
At the time, “all protesters at the time had tattoos on the top of their arm to show unity, but they are different from current designs.” He said. “My shows circles forming a clenched fist.”
Aung Soe said that during the 1988 crackdown, in which at least 3,000 people are believed to have died, he had to change places often to evade authorities. During recent protests, many protesters, activists and journalists have also gone into hiding, fearing the arrest of security forces.
“Generation Z is much more emotional than we were,” He said. “They care so much about freedom. The current situation, compared to 1988, is different because we now have the elected government … and the world knows what is happening now in Myanmar. In the past, we could not disseminate any information, already whether at home or abroad. The international community did not care about us. “
Tattoo culture
Myanmar has a long and rich history of tattoos, especially among the various ethnic groups in the country. North of Shan and central Karen, men tattooed their thighs to symbolize masculinity and courage. Others believed that traditional tattoos would possess magical powers. In the remote, mountainous state of Chin, in western Myanmar, local women were known to get tattoos on their faces.
But tattooing was banned in Myanmar (then known as Burma) under British colonial rule. And the practice of Chin women tattooing their faces was banned by the socialist government of the Burmese army in the 1960s.
Since the country began to open up and initiate a series of reforms from 2011, tattoos have become more popular, especially among the younger generation.
Htun Htun said all of Nyaung Shwe’s friends were tattooed in protest, “but in Yangon it is no longer possible because of repression,” he said. “We all look forward to democracy and seeing the release of our leaders.”
He said the power of small protests was to “unite people in one movement.”
“The escalation of violence makes me terrified, we are helpless,” added. “Weapons are not a solution to the problem.”