At least 32 people were arrested for the “crime” of possessing, selling, or digitally posting images of fresh flowers.
The sweeping arrests occurred across multiple states and regions June 18-20 during the annual nationwide “Flower Strike.”
The symbolic movement coordinates quiet defiance every year to mark the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi–ousted and jailed during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021–who turned 81 in secret military confinement on June 19.
Epicenter of the crackdown: Sagaing Region
According to data compiled by DVB and local underground monitoring networks, the regime treated red roses—a standard market commodity—as definitive evidence of state subversion.
The regime pre-emptively issued warnings through township administrators, threatening severe legal action against anyone participating in the floral tribute. In the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, authorities went so far as to completely outlaw the sale of all flowers for the three-days.
“It is totally nonsense to arrest people just for posting flowers on social media,” a Sagaing-based activist told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
“Sharing posts, commenting online, or posting flowers should not be treated as criminal acts, but people have continued to be arrested for such actions since the coup.”
A breakdown of arrests and violations
The dynamic of the crackdown targeted citizens across two frontlines: physical public spaces and digital networks. Security forces arbitrarily detained individuals for simply wearing petals or expressing birthday well-wishes online.
| Region / State | Documented Incidents & Arrests | Alleged “Offense” |
| Sagaing (Monywa) | 25 individuals arrested | Participating in the online campaign; defying local flower vendor bans. |
| Yangon & Mandalay | 3 women detained | Wearing roses while shopping at a local market and walking to a pagoda. |
| Karenni State (Loikaw) | 2 youth arrested | Sharing public social media messages wishing Suu Kyi a happy birthday. |
| Shan State (Southern) | 1 woman charged | Posting a short personal video holding a red rose on June 19. |
| Bago Region (Pandaung) | 1 woman detained | Leaving a supportive comment on an online Flower Strike post. |
The digital dragnet: 20,000 prosecuted
While the exact statutory charges remain unknown for many of the recent detainees, several are already being processed under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for incitement or spreading anti-state propaganda.
The floral arrests coincide with a chilling admission from the regime’s Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the scale of its online surveillance state.
Speaking before a parliamentary session on June 18, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Min Thu confirmed that over 20,000 people have been prosecuted over the past three years under the Counter-Terrorism Law and Section 505(a) for online dissent.
To formalize this digital warfare, the regime established a dedicated cyber-surveillance parliamentary committee in April, tasked explicitly with monitoring “fake news” and tracking the accounts of ordinary citizens.
A global ‘Proof of Life’ campaign response
The extreme paranoia inside Myanmar stands in sharp contrast to the highly visible solidarity campaigns executed by the global Myanmar diaspora.
As part of the ongoing “Proof of Life” campaign demanding that regime leader Min Aung Hlaing provide independent verification that the aging State Counsellor is still alive, her son, Kim Aris, spearheaded the international “81 for 81” physical fitness challenge.
While citizens inside Myanmar face concrete cells for holding a rose, thousands of activists across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Thailand freely took to the streets on June 19, turning the milestone birthday into a coordinated diplomatic demand for the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
