The hope that cryptocurrencies bring is more than just the current media narrative of moonbois lounging around in the sun with the Lambos in tow. If “code is law”, then the need for third parties, whether government or banks, then becomes redundant. With western democracies scrutinising crypto with an even finer tooth comb, users in nations where the rule of law and human rights is much weaker, are facing dire consequences.

On Reddit, a user from Myanmar shared their story of how crypto is a saving grace in the wake of the military government’s crackdown on liberty, property, and autonomy. In recent weeks, there have been reports of frequent military checkpoints and mobile phone searches to discover those who are using crypto. In recent weeks, the military junta announced it seeks to ban VPNs and digital currency with up to 1-year in prison for those found to be using these tokens. There are also plans for the unelected government to use their own version of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) under the guise of cybersecurity and to grow the economy. With data sovereignty becoming a critical component of our real identities, these repressive laws are fast becoming a gulag for people seeking liberation from the current financial and political system.

After being approached for their voice and opinion, user /u/The********* (name redacted for their protection) from Myanmar shared their version of life on the ground, and the hope crypto offers.

I am trapped in Myanmar and I believe crypto will take me out of this hell. I’ve been interested in crypto for a long time but never actually invested in it until the military coup. My gut feeling told me it was gonna go bad real quick and it was right. Military mass-murdering protesters(if you were captured protesting, there was a pretty high chance they would execute you to set an example and ask the families for money to retrieve the dead body), violating human rights, burning people alive, burning entire cities (like ThangTalan), war everywhere near the outskirts of country and sooner or later the war will be coming to major cities. So, I knew I had to flee. Even if I couldn’t,I wished to send my sisters and mom to safety. Passports, visas, and foreign plane tickets cost a fortune as of now which I can’t afford at the moment.

They wouldn’t even let us withdraw our money from the banks. They would only allow us to withdraw about $120 a day and we would have to get in line for about 5-6 hours. So, I started researching crypto and blockchain tech and it fascinated me how amazing it was.I would be invested in reading about crypto for hours at night. After I learned, I knew decentralized blockchain tech is going to play a big role in the upcoming future. So, I started investing in June 2021 saving whatever I can from my monthly salary and buying from CEXs. My monthly salary is only XX$ with two days off. So, I could only invest so little after I’ve put food on the table and paid the bills.

I’ve been doing my research and investing in projects I believe. I’ve been doing fine but when the crash came in 2022, I lost about half of my portfolio I didn’t panic because I’ve staked the future of me and my family on crypto, and panicking wouldn’t do any good. So, I kept investing and kept HODLING. As if the crash wasn’t bad enough, the government announced on the 23rd of May that if they find evidence that we are using or trading crypto, they will sentence us to jail for 6-12 months, and if they find a VPN on our phones, we will be sentenced to 3 years in prison. There are many military checkpoints in the city where they check their phones for photos and banned apps. If there are banned apps or any kind of photos related to the revolution being led by the National Unity Government, they will throw us in jail in there is a 50/50 chance that we will not survive. In my opinion, crypto is too much of a force to be stopped by the military government. They can’t control it, so they decided to control the users. But I will take my chances and keep investing in crypto because I genuinely believe that crypto will be my and my family’s path to freedom. I’ve been careful to not tell anyone, even my family, about my investments, and I, believe one day, I will save enough money through crypto to leave this country.

They are banning VPNs because We are using social media that they have banned like Facebook and Twitter via VPNs to spread the news about what’s happening in Myanmar, about their mass-murdering, about burning people alive and whole towns and villages, about soldiers raping women and killing them afterward. We are also watching ads with USA VPN to generate more money on revolution websites where we can watch ads and donate the revenue directly to rebels who are fighting the dictatorship. That’s also the reason why mobile data prices have skyrocketed more than 5 times than was before the coup.

Reddit User u/The********