6/9/22, 9:46 AM Meet Myanmar’s Blue Shirts – The Diplomat (A Myanmar military representative initially agreed to comment for this story, but then attempted to place restrictions on the reporting in return for responding to a written interview.) Also donning a blue shirt was filmmaker Kyal Yi Lin Six, 33, a former student of the director. She had started a Facebook page where directors and activists from across the world upload photos of themselves holding #FreeMinHtin signs. “Before this we had a small group, but by joining with Athan and other groups we have a stronger voice,” she said. That afternoon at the Athan office, a typically confined apartment in muggy downtown Yangon, an electricity blackout has the activists sweating while talking expectations. “We really hoped we wouldn’t need to protest again so much after the NLD was elected, but we really didn’t expect this,” said Aung Khant, 29. “It’s like a typical government from the past,” said Ye Wai, 24. With a general election next year, he said, this is a dangerous time for activists as neither the army or government wants criticism aired about them. More anonymous social media accounts are accusing the activists of creating “fake news” and being traitors who are funded by foreigners, he explained. Illuminating Ye Wai’s face was a spreadsheet listing 47 peaceful protest cases in Myanmar — one has 17 defendants, including Athan cofounder Saung Kha, who is on his 35th court hearing for taking part in an anti-war demonstration over a year ago. He was famously sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in 2016 for posting a poem https://thediplomat.com/2019/06/meet-myanmars-blue-shirts/ 5/8