A Bloodstained Armed Forces Day

The Myanmar military’s brutal crackdown on opponents of its recent coup will haunt Armed Forces Day on March 27. It marks the day in 1945 when the Burma National Army launched a rebellion against the occupying Imperial Japanese Army. This year, foreign diplomats, ethnic armies and deposed civilian officials will shun the commemorations. Security forces have killed some 270 civilians in a crackdown on protests since the military seized power on Feb. 1.