Six
months after a coup d'etat, the people of Myanmar find themselves ruled
by an oppressive authoritarian government while a deadly third wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic surges. A decade of democratization ended
overnight on Feb. 1 when the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy (NLD) government, claiming widespread
voter fraud in the country’s November 2020 election. Authorities have
killed more than 900 people and arrested more than 5,400 others amid
anti-coup protests.
Meanwhile, the country’s hospitals are
turning away all but the most seriously ill as COVID-19 infections soar,
forcing many patients to treat themselves at home during a critical
shortage of medical supplies. The pandemic had claimed more than 8,500
lives as of July 30.
Critics say the military is making matters
worse by denying entry to patients at army-run public hospitals,
arresting doctors and health care workers who have protested its rule,
obstructing aid workers, and heavily restricting sales of oxygen needed
to treat hypoxia.
RFA
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