Silent Strike in Myanmar — December 10, 2025: A Nationwide Act of Civil Resistance

The December Silent Strike emerged as one of the most visible forms of civil resistance against the junta’s attempt to legitimize its rule through elections. Rather than occupying public spaces with protests — a method that has been increasingly dangerous under repressive laws — citizens chose silence and withdrawal from public life as a collective political statement.

Organizers and Call to Action

The strike was called by key non-violent resistance networks opposing military rule, including the General Strike Coordination Body, which officially urged people to stay inside homes, offices, and workplaces on 10 December — a day observed internationally as Human Rights Day. Participants were asked to observe the strike between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to mark both the date and the collective rejection of the junta’s planned December elections.  Local grassroots structures played a significant role in mobilizing participation. For example, the Yangon People’s Strike Committee organized actions on 9 December to encourage participation, placing symbolic messages in central parts of the city and inviting people to oppose the election and join the Silent Strike the next day.

Participation Across Cities and Towns

People in major cities and regional towns across Myanmar observed the strike:

• In Yangon, usually bustling streets fell unusually quiet, with few vehicles, fewer pedestrians, and many businesses closed as residents stayed indoors.

• Demonstrations of compliance were also reported in Mandalay, where residents kept streets empty despite threats of legal penalties against protest leaders.

• Observations from social media and news accounts indicate participation extended to towns such as Monywa, Kalay, and Pakokku, with local populations following the nationwide call for symbolic withdrawal from public life.

This form of protest — staying indoors and erecting no outward banners or slogans — allowed people to express unified dissent even under tight security, digital repression, and the risk of prosecution under the junta’s “Election Protection Law.” 

Symbolic and Political Impact

The Silent Strike underscored broad public opposition to the junta’s December elections, which critics say are designed to manufacture legitimacy for a regime that seized power in 2021 and continues to commit human rights violations. By remaining inside their homes and workplaces, participants across Myanmar demonstrated a shared refusal to participate in a process widely seen as undemocratic and exclusionary. Despite the strike’s quiet nature, it carried a loud political message — signaling that widespread skepticism toward the junta’s political processes persists, and that civil resistance remains vibrant, coordinated, and resilient even in the face of repression.