Many Mon State citizens, like many others across Myanmar, joined the Silent Strike on 1 February.

They closed their businesses and did not go out onto the streets to mark the second anniversary of the military coup, according to the non governmental organisation (NGO) the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM).

Many photographs taken by HURFOM’s network of reporters showed empty main roads in Mawlamyine and Thaton and deserted village streets, and fresh markets in Mon villages across the state.

"This means a lot to us. They still do not forget 1st Feb, the day has fallen into darkness again. People persist in expressing their respect for those who have fallen into the revolution”, said A 30-year-old Mawlamyine resident on the morning of 1 February.

“Silence is still the loudest scream. I still cannot forget the bloodstains on this road. I will never forget the voices for freedom over the past two years. These empty roads and markets you can see show how much people hate the junta," said a 34-year-old female resident from Mon State expressed.