NAYPYIDAW —
Myanmar’s junta will
“annihilate” coup opponents, army chief Min Aung Hlaing said Sunday as the
military staged a show of force on the anniversary of its bloodiest crackdown
so far on democracy protests.
اضافة اعلان
The
Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since
a putsch in February 2021, with more than 1,700 people killed in crackdowns on
dissent, according to a local monitoring group.
Across Myanmar “People’s Defense Force” fighters —
often armed with homemade or rudimentary weapons — clash regularly with junta
troops, with some analysts suggesting the military has struggled to respond
effectively to their hit-and-run tactics.
Fighting has also flared with more established
ethnic rebel groups along the Thai and Chinese borders.
Presiding over the annual parade that showcased
tanks, truck-mounted missiles, artillery and troops on horseback, Min Aung
Hlaing told about 8,000 assembled security personnel that the army would not
let up.
The military will “no longer negotiate ... and
annihilate until the end” groups fighting to overturn its rule, he said ahead
of the
Armed Forces Day procession in army-built capital Naypyidaw.
Jets flew overhead trailing the yellow, red and
green of the national flag, while state media showed women lining the streets
leading to the parade ground to give flowers and place garlands on the marching
soldiers.
In commercial hub Yangon around a dozen anti-junta
flashmob protesters set off flares and shouted slogans, according to footage
posted on social media.
Others on social media called for residents to
switch off their lights at home in a national “power strike” on Sunday evening.
Armed Forces Day commemorates the start of local
resistance to the Japanese occupation during
World War II, and usually features
a military parade attended by foreign officers and diplomats.
Last year, as new junta chief Min Aung Hlaing
inspected the parade, troops brutalised those protesting the coup that had
ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government.
The violence was the bloodiest day in the military’s
crackdown on democracy rallies and left around 160 protesters dead, according
to a local monitoring group, sparking widespread international condemnation.
The junta has become increasingly isolated, with
Cambodian strongman Hun Sen the only foreign leader to visit since the putsch.
On Sunday
Min Aung Hlaing accused unnamed “foreign
aggressors” of working against the military and called for the armed forces to
remain united against “internal and external mischiefs”.
Russia’s vice defense minister — a major arms
supplier and ally — had been due to attend this year’s parade but was unable to
because of his “country’s affairs”, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun added.
In February a UN expert on Myanmar said
Russia was
continuing to supply the military with weapons, including fighter jets and
armored vehicles.
The EU and the US, among others, called for the army to
“cease its violence and restore Myanmar’s path to democracy”. The joint
statement also urged nations to “immediately” end the sale or transfer of arms
and military equipment to the country.
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