JURIST EXCLUSIVE – As time passes and violence against protesters and other civilians increases in the wake of the February 1 Myanmar coup, debate within Myanmar society as to how to move forward has intensified, with young people and some older people at odds. One of the Myanmar law students reporting to us reflects Monday on where the country may and should be going, suggesting the Spring Revolution, if successful, may be revolutionary in more ways than initially imagined.

Whether to fight back in defence or to stay quiet and lay low has been a heated argument between the younger generation and the older generation for the past few weeks. But the police and military terrorists have been going on rampage for too long. Now the terrorists are in our neighborhood and on our doorstep. Especially in Mandalay, Mya Yee Nandar Housing units and the neighborhood along Manaw Hari street have been a battlefield for 2 days already. A child of age 13 was killed in Mya Yee Nandar Housing along with 3 other adults today.

The older generation said that it was useless to fight against terrorists without proper weapons. However the younger generation is already committed to defending themselves and the neighborhood with the improvised weapons they made themselves.  Young generation educating the old and the older generation appreciating the young is a challenge in the “Respect your elders society” we live in. However, both generations are united by the common belief that we would win our freedom back and justice would prevail in the end. This spring revolution has opened the eyes of many to build a more open, diverse, and inclusive society.