Myanmar Citizens Boycott The Military’s Cigarettes, Beer, And Cellular Operators As A Protest Act Against The Coup

JAKARTA - Action against the coup and resistance to the Myanmar military regime was not only carried out through demonstrations. The Resistance was also carried out by boycotting products related to the Myanmar military.

Through the 'social punishment' campaign, a boycott of products related to the Myanmar military was carried out to overthrow the regime. Not only individuals but boycotts were also carried out from shops to restaurants.

In addition, shops are also reluctant to sell their daily necessities to the Myanmar police and military. This is also a form of resistance to the Myanmar military coup which has lasted almost 1 month.

In the latest campaign, shops including roadside merchants refused to sell goods to police and military personnel, as well as their family members. This was intended to show their opposition not only to the military regime but also to the security forces involved in cracking down on anti-coup protesters.

A growing number of private shops in the Yangon, Mandalay, and Bago areas and the Karen and Kachin states are posting signs that say, “We do not sell to police and military personnel. If you find this embarrassing, don't buy it".

Some vendors also added sentences saying they would not sell anything to civil servants who did not participate in the civil disobedience campaign against the military regime.

Campaigner Ma Khin San told The Irrawaddy that government employees took a risk by participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement despite being threatened with arrest. More and more businesses are joining the campaign, as they offer simple means of participation against dictatorships.

"We need to put the military regime under pressure from all sides. Protesting peacefully on the streets is not enough, social punishment is needed”, said Ma Khin San.

"We have to cut the channels that benefit the military. And we need to show them that we don't accept their acts of violence, by refusing to sell them goods or food", he added.

With regard to product boycotts, the campaign is carried out by not buying any goods or services produced by military-owned companies. Not only that, the target is a number of well-known business entities in Myanmar.

Starting from the fourth-largest mobile telecommunications operator in Myanmar, Mytel, followed by the two most popular beers in the Country, Myanmar Beer, and Black Shield. Then there are Red Ruby and Premium Gold cigarettes.

The campaign is also related to calls to stop visiting business entities related to the Myanmar military, namely Gandamar Wholesale, Ruby Mart to Myawady Petrol.

As a result, Myanmar Beer since last week was no longer seen in the largest retailer in Myanmar City Mart. A large number of restaurants and hotels in Yangon and Mandalay also no longer serve military-related beer brands.

Yangon's popular restaurant chain, Win Restaurant, announced on Wednesday that it had removed all Myanmar Beer posters and would no longer sell any products from Myanmar military companies.

A number of convenience stores such as G&G and ABC appear to have joined the campaign, with Mytel and Myanmar Beer cards no longer available at most of their branches in Yangon. This includes Mytel Pay services, sim cards, and top-ups by small shops in Myanmar.

"We will do whatever we can to harm the military. Military business is an important source of income for the military to buy weapons and weapons to oppress us”, said the campaigner.

“If we see military-related products in shops, we urge them to stop selling them. We also share documents that show how the results of this product support military operations", he said.

According to a UN Fact-Finding Mission report on Myanmar, nearly 60 foreign companies are jointly or indirectly doing business with the Myanmar military. After the coup, Japanese beverage giant Kirin announced that it would end its joint beer business with Myanma Economic Holdings Public Co. Ltd. (MEHL). On February 9, leading Singaporean conglomerate Lim Kaling also decided to exit its joint venture with MEHL, which produces the country's most popular cigarette brands, Red Ruby and Premium Gold.