Two years to the day after the coup that toppled leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s junta on Wednesday announced the extension of the state of emergency for six months, which will likely postpone the promised elections for the summer.
Silent strike and sporadic demonstrations: in Burma, pro-democracy activists mark Wednesday with a black stone the second anniversary of the coup, while the junta announced the extension of the state of emergency for six months. This will probably result in ponement of the elections promised for the summer.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s request to extend the state of emergency declared when the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021 has been granted, state broadcaster MRTV said.
“The state of emergency will be extended for six months from February 1,” said interim President Myint Swe, adding that “the sovereign power of the state has again been transferred to the Commander-in-Chief “.
“Our government will work to organize elections in all regions of the country so that the people do not lose their democratic prerogatives,” said Min Aung Hlaing, whose remarks were reported by the television channel MRTV. He had previously said that the elections could only be held when the country was “peaceful and stable”.
“The army will always be the guardian of the interests of the state and the people…under any government,” Min Aung Hlaing added.
Western powers marked the anniversary with a fresh wave of sanctions against the generals, but previous rounds have shown little sign of swaying the junta from course.
In central Yangon, the economic capital, protesters unfurled banners across several bridges, calling on people to join the “revolution”, early Wednesday, according to footage released by local media.
Silent strike
Activists called on residents to close businesses and not go out on the streets between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. “I made fewer snacks today and all of them have already been sold out,” a street vendor in Yangon told AFP. “People have been rushing to buy since early morning. There will be a silent strike… We don’t want to miss it.”
A pro-military gathering of “patriots, army lovers, monks and the general public” was to march through the streets of downtown Yangon.
The US Embassy warned of “increased activity and violence against the regime” during the days surrounding the anniversary.
Expected announcement
The state of emergency imposed in the wake of the putsch by the junta was due to expire at the end of January, after which the authorities were required, according to the Constitution, to set up a timetable for new elections.
The army was to announce on Wednesday that it was preparing for these elections. But on Tuesday, the National Defense and Security Council, made up of members of the junta, met to discuss the state of the nation and concluded that the country was “not yet back to normal”.
In a statement, the junta accused its opponents, including the “People’s Defense Forces” (PDF) and a shadow government led by deputies from the party of the now imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi, of seeking to seize power “by uprising and violence”. “The necessary announcement will be published” on Wednesday, the document adds, without giving details.
The United States, Canada and Britain announced a new round of sanctions to mark the anniversary, targeting members of the junta and the entities it supports.
“Barbarian Campaign”
Britain, a former colonial power, added new sanctions including against companies supplying aviation fuel to the army and allowing its “barbaric campaign of air raids in order to maintain power”.
Australia also announced sanctions for the first time against 16 junta members “responsible for gross human rights abuses” and two sprawling military-controlled conglomerates.
The US sanctions also target the junta-approved electoral commission, which last week gave political parties two months to re-register, a sign that the military appeared to want to hold new polls.
But turnout promises to be uncertain, with swaths of the country in the throes of a violent conflict between armed forces and rebel militias that is dissuading residents from casting their ballots – or looming the threat of reprisals for those who do.
A United Nations special envoy said on Tuesday that elections would “fuel greater violence, prolong the conflict and make the return to democracy and stability more difficult”.
