According to the opinion of the majority, the Facebook has become a repertoire of Myanmar culture and civility online. Everyone in Myanmar under the disguise of anonymity seems to be somehow involved in trolling, swearing, slander and hate speech. With Facebook management now removing the factchecking algorithms to appease Trump, the aforementioned behaviours are likely to exacerbate. The elderly wonder why such type of uncouth behaviours and insolent curses come out of the most peaceful minds of the majority Buddhist populace.
Funding no longer comes easy
Along with obscenity, expletives, profanity and vulgarism, the keyboard warrior arm of NNCP terrorists thrive on the same Facebook. The West is always against calling them terrorists, preferring may be ‘Freedom fighters’ perhaps, but let’s keep the champagne on ice first, till after you finish reading this whole article. Targeting the military, government officials, pro government individuals and those they deem somehow related to the current administration, these terrorists had enjoyed support of the majority of the plebeians in 2021 and 2022. Their main aim is fund raising, even if the generosity of the educated segment has now run dry. In order to continue to receive funds from Myanmar diaspora and sympathisers, they have to be seen to continue to wage war against the current regime.
And waging wars is expensive. The NNCP forces do not have the complete control of specific territories. The ones that they are in are under the EAO’s (Ethnic Armed Organisations) authority. EAOs have income from land such as Wa from selling rare earths to China, Kachin from selling Jade to China and Kayins (Karens) getting rent for operating scam cities like Shwe Kok Ko on their lands near the border. Unlike the EAOs, NNCP group does not have income from the territories since they own none. Donations made up of the majority of their incomes. With Trump issuing executive order on January 24 to halt all foreign aid for 90 days, the funding for NNCP terror group, including their associated fake news media channels out of Chiang Mai, would not be as liquid as before. This change of US administration would push them to look for more retail donations. At the same time, since the latter is drying up too, they have to muster their performance to continue to squeeze blood out of the stone.
That means more assassinations, extra violence, new robberies, further kidnappings and guerrilla attacks. They may have to upscale their targets too, as the murders of teachers, civil servants, ward administrators would no longer wet their mob’s appetite. These actions also have turned off many who originally supported their cause, in the early years of the campaign. NNCP terrorists are in fact hoist by their own petard.
Beating a dead horse
The elections is support to be happening at the end of the year. So far there is no indication that the military government is not stepping down. They will be transition to the civilian government after the elections. Thereafter the country can continue to move forward. Then, why beat a dead horse!
With support from India and China and perhaps Thailand, the government can function without the West or ASEAN. There is no need to negotiate with NNCP people or give in to their demands. The fight for territories, win or lose, NNCPs are just pawns in the game of chess played between the government and the EAOs.
The only danger for the population is the one that I have mentioned above; more violence, new assassinations, etc., to enrich a few remaining ‘smart’ leaders of the terror group.
Trying to take out a journalist
On January 13, I received a message from my father, conveying the fact that the leaders of military intelligence and counter terrorism units warned him of myself being in the hit list of people to be assassinated within the month of January. Sure, I am pro Myanmar, hence anti disintegration of the country. Knowing the facts and extent of voters’ fraud, I cannot support someone who cheated in the election and the group trying to restore that administration. I strongly believe elections is the start of the way forward for the country.
Yet, as with all terrorists, any opinion holder who do not agree with them is their enemy. Even though I was totally not involved in the production of the infamous video of cele Phyu Phyu Htwe, I was targeted as the newsman who would stand for the truth and not stand on their side.
I had to temporarily move out of my house and stay in a hotel as a precautionary measure. The fake news agencies will shout their hearts out about press freedom and security of journalists, provided it concerns the journalists who agree with them. The ones who preach the truth based on hard facts, like myself, would have support of neither the government nor these news agencies, who extol the freedom of expression so much.