final chance to follow the monks’ recommendations to bring peace to the country.54 Min Aung Hlaing must retain the alignment of the Sangha with the military junta if the former is to justify his regime in Buddhist terms. He has responded to the Ma-ha-na admonishment and strike threat by warning the State Sangha Council monks that they might face arrest and that SAC would “purify” (i.e., replace) the forty-seven members with other (regime-friendly) monks. Rumours have already circulated that Min Aung Hlaing wants to create a “fake sasana” or phony religion in order to legitimize his rule. CONCLUSION The hopeful and carnivalesque atmosphere of the early protests and mass rallies against the February coup had by mid-March evaporated in most cities. Gen Z anti-coup efforts reached beyond Myanmar’s national borders, meaningfully connecting to broader regional and worldwide anti-authoritarian revolutionary movements. At the same time, they also interjected a regionally salient critique of Chinese hegemony. Domestically, the movement has unified inter-generational struggles against military dictatorship and colonialism and forged a bond of common purpose between the Bamar majority and the ethnic minorities. It has also sustained the inclusion of labour, the civil service, and disparate political parties, and civil society actors. As the anti-coup movement adapted with the non-violent tactics available, it evolved towards the strategic goal of dividing society against the military state by building on tactics of civil disobedience, labour strikes, the creation of semi-autonomous administrative zones, boycotts of Chinese and certain Myanmar businesses, “doxing” and social punishment campaigns. On 26 March 2021, Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sebastian Stragio, “Myanmar Buddhist Association Signals Break with Military Junta”, The Diplomat, 18 March 2021, https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/ myanmar-buddhist-association-signals-possible-break-with-military-junta/ (accessed 23 March 2021). 54 32 21-J07648 01 Trends_2021-7.indd 32 28/4/21 9:34 AM