Known by his stage name PAST12, the 25-year-old beams with pride when he talks about the country's burgeoning electronic dance music (EDM) scene.
Pyae Phyo Lin, known in Yangon’s music scene by his stage name PAST12, envisions the country as the region’s hub for electronic dance music. Photo: Radiate Entertainment
Since the takeover, the lives of millions of Myanmar youth have diverged in extraordinary ways: While some are working to turn the country into a culture hub, others have taken up arms against the powerful military. Many more are still coming to terms with the reality that their dreams have been shattered by the junta. As political turmoil—the same that their parents experienced decades ago—upends the lives of another generation, activists say that even the most privileged won’t be able to ignore the political crisis for much longer. Two years ago, Tin Tin, a mathematics major who was in her final year of university, was on the frontlines of pro-democracy protests in her hometown of Loikaw, the capital of Myanmar’s eastern Kayah State.
A funeral procession in Mandalay on March 4, 2021, for Kyal Sin, a 19-year-old who was killed after being shot in the head at a protest against the military coup. Photo: STR / AFP
“They hit an old man and he died on the spot,” Zaw Min told VICE World News, using a pseudonym for his safety. “I realized that with only demonstrations, we can’t get power back. I realized that we have to fight against them.”
Zaw Min’s parents have not spoken to him for two years, severing ties with him when they found out about his decision to join an armed resistance group. His father, who is in the military, received chilling threats from his colleagues when they found out his son had joined the resistance.“The military told my family that if they caught me, they would kill me.”
These alliances have created an added layer of threat to the junta, which experts note is struggling to impose control across the country. On Feb. 1, the second anniversary of the coup, Myanmar’s de facto ruler, senior general Min Aung Hlaing, announced an extension to the country’s state of emergency until August, citing “unusual circumstances,” while acknowledging the junta was not in full control of more than a third of townships in the country.The NUG issued a statement on the same day, announcing that they will work with “ethnic allies” to “end the military's illegal power grab.”“They were students, they were doctors, they were teachers—just normal people who have no choice but to pick up arms and defend their country.
Thousands of youth have taken up arms to fight the junta, joining the People’s Defence Forces despite having no military experience. Photo: Fox
“They were students, they were doctors, they were teachers—just normal people who have no choice but to pick up arms and defend their country. It's very sad.”For two years, Fox and a team of like-minded friends have been documenting the conflict, sharing photos on social media to raise awareness and funds for the resistance. But their activism has come with anxious objections from their family, many of whom carry vivid memories of past protests that ended in bloodshed.
Armed with his camera, Fox and his friends documented Yangon's anti-coup protests in 2021. He has since traveled to other parts of Myanmar to photograph the resistance movement. Photo: Fox
Sai Woon Nge, also known by his stage name AJOHN, at his fashion brand’s pop-up store in Yangon. The 24-year-old said that the past two years have given him time to explore his passion for music and fashion. Photo: Courtesy of Sai Woon Nge
The political crisis has exacerbated differences in a country that already had a stark wealth gap. According to the 2017 Myanmar Living Conditions Survey, the poorest 40 percent of the population holds only 22.1 percent of the country’s total income. But amid a plunging economy, evaporating employment opportunities, and bleak educational prospects, activists say even the privileged can’t ignore the impact the coup has made on life in Myanmar, fueling the resistance against the junta. “Even in the young population, there are different classes,” said Thinzar Shunlei Yi, advocacy coordinator at the Action Committee for Democracy Development, a coalition of social and political groups focused on democratic issues in Myanmar. “In urban areas, the young people may not be speaking up against the junta mainly because of security issues,” she said. “But that won’t stop the revolution from going. Every day, young people are facing challenges, even in the middle of Yangon. The coup impacted all of us.”With seemingly no end in sight to the crisis, the past two years of conflict and instability have taken their toll on youth like Tin Tin. As she continues working in a warehouse away from her hometown, her ambitions as a university student have turned into a distant memory. The reality of her new life is slowly, painfully, sinking in. “For the first year, I didn’t feel much depression because we hoped that it would be over. If it’s just one a year we can stand and resist the coup,” she said. “In the second year, some of my friends and so many youth are sacrificing their lives. People are suffering.”“I feel like my youth and my education have been destroyed by the coup.” Naw Diamond and Caleb Quinley contributed reporting.Follow Koh Ewe on Twitter and Instagram.“Every day, young people are facing challenges, even in the middle of Yangon. The coup impacted all of us.”
