Michigan
Kayla Miller | kmille17@mlive.comFeb 18, 2021
More than 100 people turned out Friday, Feb. 12 at the Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids to protest the military coup in Myanama
PORTAGE, MI -- A Burmese advocacy group is holding a protest for Myanmar during President Joe Biden’s visit to a major COVID-19 vaccine production facility in Portage Friday.
The “Protest for Myanmar” will be held beginning at noon Friday, Feb. 19, outside the Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Road, according to a Facebook event page.
The event was postponed after Biden delayed his visit to the Pfizer plant just south of Kalamazoo due to weather. Biden’s plane, originally expected on Thursday, will now be arriving on Friday at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International, Airport Director Craig Williams said.
Pfizer-made coronavirus vaccines began shipping out of Portage on Dec. 13. Though a detailed schedule of Biden’s Michigan visit has not yet been released, the president is expected to tour the plan where the COVID-19 vaccine is being produced and to talk with workers there.
A similar protest to the one planned in Portage was held in Grand Rapids on Feb. 12. More than 100 people attended to draw attention to the ongoing political upheaval in Myanmar, previously known as Burma.
Myanmar is in Southeast Asia. After gaining independence from Britain in 1948, the country was ruled by the armed forces from 1962 until 2011, when a new government began ushering in a return to civilian rule, the BBC reported.
On Feb. 1, the military seized control following a general election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won. The military, which placed Suu Kyi and other members of her party under arrest, has since declared a year-long state of emergency and have been met with protests, according to the BBC.
Tha Tin Par, one of the Portage event organizers, said all Burmese living in Michigan are invited to “come out to ask for (Biden’s) help for Myanmar.
“I think what’s different about this event, compared to other events, is that our main, targeted audience is the president of the United States of America,” Par said. “We are so grateful for his acknowledgment of what’s happening in Burma and also the humanitarian aid that he has released. But, we know things in Burma are not getting better; if anything, they’re getting worse.
“We just really want him to continue to come up with different strategies to effectively end the coup in Burma.”
Par said organizers believe Portage Road will be closed around noon for the president, so advised attendees they should arrive early.
The United Kingdom, European Union and Australia are among those to have condemned the military takeover in Myanmar. Biden has threatened to reinstate sanctions, according to the BBC.
Burma is in its infancy of becoming a democratic society, Par said, and citizens living abroad see the U.S. as a prime example of democracy.
“I think it is critical for the U.S. to pay attention to what’s happening in Burma and to play an active role in really birthing democracy and making sure that it flourishes,” she said.
Attendees to Friday’s protest are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines, to dress warmly and to bring their own chair and protest signs.
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