Every day, when Ko Win Kyaw goes out to demonstrate against
the
Myanmar military, he carries his slingshot and a supply of rocks as
ammunition. It is little help against the army’s overwhelming firepower, but he
said it gives him confidence and a way to strike back.
اضافة اعلان
Win Kyaw, 36, is one of many pro-democracy protesters who
have started arming themselves with rudimentary weapons as they defy the
military regime in Myanmar. What began as peaceful protests after the February
1 coup rapidly grew into a resistance movement, with citizens defending
themselves using slingshots, homemade air guns, old hunting rifles and firebombs.
For many in Myanmar, the turning point came March 27, when
security forces killed at least 150 people. It was the deadliest crackdown
since the coup, according to a human rights group tracking the killings. More
than 728 people have been killed, and at least 3,000 have been detained.
The protesters often turn to YouTube to learn to make simple
weapons, relying on easy-to-find resources. For air guns, plastic pipe is used
for the barrel, and a butane lighter switch works as a trigger. Ball bearings
taken from bicycle wheels are the most popular ammunition, but protesters also
shoot marbles and plastic pellets. Homemade smoke bombs are usually made with
gunpowder or potassium nitrate, an ingredient in fertilizer.
Both the air guns and the smoke bombs are more defensive
than offensive. The air gun is not lethal, but it can hit a target 30m away.
The protesters use it to keep soldiers from advancing too quickly. When the
protesters need to escape, they use the smoke bombs to shield themselves from
view as they retreat in hard hats and goggles.
Some experts on the
Tatmadaw fear strong retaliation if
protesters were to procure deadly weapons on a large scale.
Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based analyst who writes for the
Jane’s Group of military publications, said Tatmadaw generals viewed themselves
as having acted with restraint, responding proportionately as the protests have
grown.
“People talk about the brutality of the Tatmadaw, which is
undeniable,” he said. “But we are talking about 500 dead in the space of two
months, not 5,000. It could easily have been more. By their own twisted
standards, there is no doubt they are trying to calibrate the escalation of
violence.”
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