People in the middle of a general crisis

Since February 1, 2021, when the terrorist group started trying to seize power, it is clear that in addition to serious human rights violations such as war crimes, and crimes against humanity, people's rights have been suppressed in various ways. In addition, public services have been unable to operate normally for the past three years due to attempts to repress strike protests by civil servants using various means, including violence. In order to suppress the ethnic armed resistance forces that have been fighting for self-determination for decades, along with the armed resistance against the coup attempt, agricultural sectors were also badly affected by the destruction and raids of townships and villages. In addition, since the beginning of 2024, attempts to illegally activate the conscription law have led to a mass exodus of the labor force, mostly unwilling to join the terrorist group, to border areas and neighboring countries.

The terrorist group may or may not have the intention of destroying the country's economy, which is directly related to their interests, but as a consequence of the repressive mechanism, the country's economy is already in a terrible state.  During the crisis, more than a third of the total population is experiencing food insecurity. Others face high food costs that increase annually and monthly.

Exorbitantly high commodity prices

Since the beginning of the year 2024, the price of goods has increased significantly and had a great impact on the public. In the three years since the military coup, the prices of consumer goods, including basic food, have tripled, according to news media. Basic food price data from the World Food Program (WFP) show that overall prices have risen by 50 percent over the past year, nearly 300 percent (tripling) compared to the situation before the coup.

The price of 1 viss (1.68 kg) of palm oil was only around 1,800 kyats before the coup, but now the reference price from the Supervisory Committee on Import, Storage, and Distribution of Edible Oil is set at 5,370 kyats per viss. However, due to transportation difficulties in the conflict areas, the price of oil has risen to around 35,000 kyats per viss.

There are shortages of basic foodstuffs, including rice, in some remote areas and conflict-affected areas. In addition, because the border trade gates have stopped due to the fighting, there are impacts on the entire trade sector, including farmers. Even data maintained by the terrorist group itself shows a significant reduction in the volume of border and maritime trade.

A terrorist military group's solution to rising rice prices

The terrorist group's response to the rise in the price of rice, a staple of domestic consumption, exemplifies their style of economic sector management. On June 22, 2024, the Myanmar Rice Federation announced a plan to sell rice at a reasonable reference price, and on June 24, one person per household was allowed to buy the rice at the rice commodity depot in Lanmadaw Township, Yangon. On June 25, it was announced that two bags of different types of rice would be sold per household per month. Some of the grassroots level people have to buy and eat only broken rice, which is cheaper than the rice that is sold, and they also have to buy and eat wet, yellow, and damaged rice that is used as animal feed .

The response of the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) is not a response free from the pressure of the terrorist group. Regarding the excessive increase in rice prices in the market since June 20, the SAC summoned the rice merchants, including the President and vice president of the Myanmar Rice Federation, and conducted inspections. On June 21,  the military dealt harshly by shutting down several rice warehouses in Yangon’s Bayinnaung Warehouses and detaining the rice traders who imported rice to big shops. On June 25, the terrorist military group banned famous retail shopping malls in Yangon including One Stop Mart, Makro, Market Place, City Mart, Sein Gay Har, and Gamone Pwint from selling rice. On June 30, the terrorist military group announced that some entrepreneurs, including the CEOs, directors, and management directors of City Mart, One Stop Mart, Sein Gay Har, and Aeon Organze, will be prosecuted under Section 5 of the Essential Supplies and Services Law, for allegedly selling more than the price set by the Myanmar Rice Federation.

Other sectors

While rice is an obvious example, other sectors are not exempt from the brutal pressure of the terrorist group.

At a time when commodity prices were rising from the side, some local businessmen had increased employee salaries, and some businesses that had announced an increase in wages had to face the wrath of the terrorist military group who wanted to hide the truth. In early June 2024, a terrorist group arrested some businessmen who had raised employee salaries for allegedly destabilizing the country .

Before that, on June 2, the SAC stated that it would take action against gold shops and gold entrepreneurs such as Academy, Aung Thamardi, Zwe Htet, and Weint Sein, accusing them of destabilizing the country's economy by speculating at prices that are not actually traded.

In addition, in response to the rapid decline in the value of the kyat, it has been announced that action will be taken against those operating in the Hundi Business and Currency Exchange Business. 

As a final case, on July 1, the terrorist military stated that actions would be taken against the executives at seven private banks, including Yoma Bank, AYA Bank, UAB, Myanmar Citizenship Bank, SME Development Bank, Myanmar Metro Bank, and Construction, Housing & Infrastructure Development Bank for allegedly allowing their banks to exceed the limit on the amount of home mortgages they can lend set by the Central Bank of Myanmar

People in crisis

Poverty, which was 24.8 percent nationwide in 2017, has risen to 32.1 percent in 2023. Human rights, Political rights, etc. in the economic sector have been severely damaged by violent coercion, as the urban people, who are facing all kinds of oppression daily, are suffering from the exorbitant price of goods, the people who are facing air attacks by terrorist groups every day, raids, and arson are also facing food shortages.