Thread on Colombian protests, context and what we can do to help.

#SOSColombia

Forgive me if I get anything wrong, I am also learning about what my brothers and sisters are going through.
The current demonstrations started against unpopular tax reforms proposed by the Duque government in response to rising inequality, poverty and unemployment from the COVID-19 pandemic. They quickly grew in response to a sharep surge in state violence.
Scenes of shocking police-brutality were shared thousands of times online, including shooting with live rounds, motorcycles ramming into protestors, and battering protestors with police shields.
Colombia, like many Latin American countries, were subjected to colonialism from European empires as well as an expansionist US foreign policy since the early 1800s. In particular, the US has had a heavy hand in fueling the civil war as well as quelling popular movements.
There are many parallels with Myanmar including one of the world's longest running civil wars, political assassinations (Gaitan/Aung San), political interference (US/China), outsize role of the military, diverse ethnicities, and history of human rights abuses.
Myanmar people and Colombians share more in our desire for freedom, basic human rights and dignity, decent living and wages than in our language, culture and traditions.

We must stand with them in this fight. Remember our shared humanity.

#SOSColmbia #WhatsHappeningInMyanm‌ar
Share their stories, read their history, listen to the Colombian people.

There are no excuses in this age, esp. the privileged ones outside of Myanmar, to ignore the plight of oppressed people everywhere in the world.

"First they came for them..." We must stand together!

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More from @naypaingtweets

5 May
Maybe I shouldn't focus on "tankies" invading the Myanmar debate when we already have fine connoisseurs of the art coming out of the woodwork whenever we mention genuine representation for Rohingya.
The Myanmar "tankie" culture is alive and well with top 10 hits including:
1. Can't trust the 'racist' Myanmar people
2. Won't take one constructive step if you can't solve the whole thing.
3. Relying on decades-old Tatmadaw talking points, "taingyinthar, both-sides-conflict."
4. Harmful conspiracies about Rohingya orgs. (OIC funding, indigeneity, 'illegal economic migration')
5. Only listening and prioritising state actors or 'movement' leaders.
6. Asking for the 'right' time for collaboration, dialogue that never comes.
Read 6 tweets
4 May
Myanmar diaspora politics are still steeped in saviour-worship, conspiracy theories about Rohingya, paternalism and overreliance on NUG/CRPH to lead the way.
#WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar
What they have to realise is the Myanmar people are already paving the way. Local defense organisations and general strike committees are clear examples of bottom-up organising that sustains a democracy movement.
#WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar
If you're not looking, you are missing the fact that we are still in this fight BECAUSE we have a vibrant democracy. The Myanmar people have rejected, through a popular movement, a murderous regime with guns with our voices and actions. #WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar
Read 5 tweets
3 May
On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we must remember to prioritise the voices and struggles of local journalists in 🇲🇲 who are risking abduction, prosecution, torture, threats and prosecution to report the facts on the ground. Thank you for all that you do. 🙏🙏🙏
#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
Please read the following thread to learn more about the ongoing challenges facing journalists in Myanmar right now:
Read 5 tweets
20 Apr
Thread on Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar diaspora politics and how the pro-democracy movement can move forward from NLD-led politics. (1/?)

Over the past couple of months, I have spoken to many younger and older activists on what is the best path towards a post-Tatmadaw Myanmar.
Unsurprisingly, Aung San Suu Kyi's name appeared often over the course of these conversations: where she is, her health, the new bogus charges brought against her, #freeourleaders and her preeminent place in Myanmar politics. (2/?)
My formerly pristine opinion of her is bitterly tinged by her inexcusable defense of the Tatmadaw over the 2017 genocidal campaign against our Rohingya brothers and sisters. She used to be a former hero of mine, I now view her as someone to replace.
Read 13 tweets

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