5/22/22, 5:32 PM ‘Online mob’ assists silent strike crackdown | Frontier Myanmar In one post, Han Nyein Oo targeted a bakery in Mandalay, which had allegedly closed for the silent strike in December. “They support the PDF terrorist group and he [the bakery owner] even insulted the head of state,” Han Nyein Oo wrote, adding that the bakery owner was “happy” when a bomb allegedly planted by resistance fighters exploded in Mandalay. Han Nyein Oo posted about the bakery at 10:30am on January 27. At 2:21pm, he posted pictures showing soldiers raiding the building, where they supposedly found NLD paraphernalia like flags and portraits of party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Frontier spoke to the bakery owner just before the raid. He said he doesn’t use social media very much and only found out about Han Nyein Oo’s post through friends. “I am worried about being arrested and having my shop shut down forever,” he said. The shop owner declined to say whether he would participate in the February 1 silent strike, citing fears for his safety. A witness in Mandalay confirmed to Frontier that the bakery was raided, and individuals were arrested. In another sign that Han Nyein Oo is directly collaborating with authorities, he posted a picture of a barbecue restaurant in Mandalay on January 25, claiming it planned to participate in the protest. The same restaurant was then featured in a poster reportedly distributed by the junta warning businesses not to strike. Han Nyein Oo has since shared photos of the shuttered restaurant, with a sign out the front saying it had been seized for supporting PDFs. Mr Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said it’s the “height of absurdity” to charge business owners for choosing to keep their shops closed. “The fact that this discussion is even occurring shows how truly warped and rights abusing Myanmar has become under the military junta’s rule,” he said. Prominent activist Ko Moe Thway, who has been active in promoting the silent strike, said the crackdown is further evidence that the military regime is “fascist”. “I am saddened to hear of such arrests. On the other hand, I am proud of the people who fought bravely. Our revolution will succeed, so we are determined to get the justice we deserve for these losses,” he said. Moe Thway said even if stores are forced to open, it won’t impact the silent strike, as the military can’t stop people from staying inside their homes. “There is no law in the world where you can be arrested for staying in your own home. Therefore, forcing shops to open is not a threat to the silent strike,” he said. The owner of an electronics shop in Yangon told Frontier that he planned to open his store to avoid legal trouble, but in the expectation that there would be no customers. He said about eight local junta officials, including staffers from the General Administration Department and municipal staffers visited his shop on January 27. They forced him to sign a letter saying he would open on February 1. “Failure to do so will result in legal action, and those who do not open it that day are considered to be politically active,” he said. He said the junta’s threats were akin to tactics used in North Korea, and its preemptive crackdown showed that the military was “very scared”. “I think the silent strike was successful before it even started,” he said. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/online-mob-assists-silent-strike-crackdown/ 3/8