When the lights go out in Myanmar – Asia Times

YANGON Darkness is descending on Myanmar, figuratively and literally.

As the military regime widens a killing spree that has taken over 700 lives since its February 1 coup, the besieged nation s already creaky power infrastructure is at rising risk of blacking out. 

The anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) has called on public sector employees, including at the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE), to down tools in protest against the coup, a rally cry that has seized up much of the bureaucracy.

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), an emerging parallel government comprised of military-ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers, on March 18 said it exempted households from paying monthly electricity bills and paused the collection of fees for non-household usage, an audacious bid to hit the junta in the coffers.

Those rebel yells are resonating. Local media reports estimate that anywhere between 50-75% of the ministry s workers are on strike, including nearly all junior-level staff at the nation s two main power dispatch centers in Yangon and the capital Naypyidaw.

via asiatimes.com