Pandemic Weaponisation and Non-State Welfare in Pre- and Post-Coup Myanmar

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Abstract

The Myanmar military’s seizure of power in February 2021 led to a
breakdown in the collaborative state–society relations that had characterised
the COVID-19 response during the first year of the pandemic. This
chapter examines the dynamics of cooperation and contention between
successive administrations (civilian and military) and the enduring role of
Myanmar’s vibrant, non-state charitable sector in pandemic response prior
to and following the coup. Assessing claims made prior to the coup that the
intermediation of state pandemic social aid was weaponised by the National
League for Democracy, the chapter focuses on how the junta’s abandonment
of the government’s limited social stimulus initiatives, and their adoption
of strategies to empower pro-military or neutral loyalists at a local level,
has fractured the state–society collaboration that had helped contain and
manage COVID-19 in 2020. The chapter identifies four key strategies
through which the junta has sought to discipline Myanmar’s vibrant, nonstate social sector: suppressing perceived dissenters, empowering loyalists,
disciplining charitable actors and partnering with neutral welfare groups.
We conclude by reflecting on debates about the meaning of neutrality in the
context of the new dictatorship, urging the need for greater international
support to non-state welfare provision in the short term.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAfter the Coup: Myanmar's Political and Humanitarian Crises
Place of PublicationCanberra
PublisherANU Press
Chapter11
Pages231-252
Number of pages21
ISBN (Electronic)9781760466145
ISBN (Print)9781760466138
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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