Ward administrators in Mandalay have apparently resorted to violence in order to enforce a 9pm-4am curfew to tackle crime during the coronavirus pandemic and to stop the virus from spreading further.
A video circulating on Facebook showed a man in a purple top surrounded by a group of men, three of who were carrying sticks. One of the group chastised the man before striking his stick on the back of the men’s legs with a flinch-inducing thwack that reverberates down the street.
The video—posted on Tuesday with an explainer that "the guy who went out after 10pm is beaten"—was reminiscent of scenes from India in which police used rattan canes to beat people into lockdown compliance—split the views of Myanmar account holders.
Some supported the action as a means to curb the spread of the virus, while others argued that the punishment was too severe and the administrators should be punished.
“Good, continue like this,” said one user.
“If they tell you to stay in after 10pm, just do it,” wrote another. “It’s your fault for going out.”
“A beating is going too far, plus you didn’t need to use that much force,” countered another user.
Someone pointed out rather ominously that the stick-wielding man should “be aware there are stabbings in the area.”
Curfews have been set across most government-controlled parts of Myanmar, including a 10pm-4am order in Yangon.
As of Thursday afternoon, Myanmar recorded 127 Covid-19 cases, with five deaths and nine recoveries.
Mandalay has had its curfew for a week and no end date has been set.
In reaction to the video, one Facebook user posted a newspaper article reporting a 15-day jail sentence for two men who broke the curfew in Napyidaw by reportedly being found drunk outside at 11.30pm on April 19.
“This is what the law will give you,” wrote the user. “Now tell me, would you take this or the smack?”
