Revolution in Myanmar: Fighting sovereign commandment in the name of popular will

Abstract

The date 27 March was once known as Fascist Resistance Day in Myanmar, which was once known as Burma. It was a day to commemorate the struggle against Japanese imperialism. Later, its name shortened to Resistance Day, or more precisely Tawlanye Ne (Revolution Day), it was coupled with Armed Forces Day, a title that later eclipsed the earlier one. By the 1990s only soldiers observed it, parading inside their camps or at the People's Park in Yangon. Although the people were, without a hint of irony, barred from the park, they were still able to watch the televised parade, with garlanded men standing to attention for the same self-congratulatory speech about the military's defence of national sovereignty that was repeated each year. With the coming of pay TV and mobile phones, Armed Forces Day ceremonies lost the audiences they once had. Nevertheless, the date has remained on the calendar as one officially and exclusively for military pomp and tinsel. Show more