MYANMAR: JUNTA LEADER ADDRESSES NATION AS PROTESTS INTENSIFY

Mon 08 February 2021:

Addressing the country on live television for the first time since the February 1 putsch, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Monday called on the public to prioritise facts and not feelings and repeated the claim that there were irregularities in November’s election that were ignored.

General Min said the army will hold a new election and transfer power to the winner, as protests against last week’s coup continued to grow.

The address came after tens of thousands of people joined a third day of street demonstrations in towns and cities across Mynamar – a country previously ruled by the military for 49 years after a 1962 coup – to denounce the military’s actions including the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate whose National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the November polls in a landslide.

The army has announced a one-year state of emergency and on Monday imposed martial law in parts of Mandalay, sections of the largest city of Yangon and other townships.

Also on Monday, military authorities warned of action against protesters, saying there had been violations of the law and threats of force by groups “using the excuse of democracy and human rights”.

“Action must be taken according to the law with effective steps against offences which disturb, prevent and destroy the state’s stability, public safety and the rule of law,” said a statement read by an announcer on state-run MRTV.

Growing Protest

In Yangon, nurses, teachers, civil servants and monks joined anti-coup demonstrations. Some held signs denouncing the coup and calling for democracy, as others flew multicoloured Buddhist flags alongside red banners, the colour of the NLD.

In the capital, Naypyidaw, where Myanmar’s top civilian leaders are believed to be held, videos posted on social media on Monday showed police firing brief bursts of water cannon to try and disperse peaceful protesters gathered on a highway.

Separately on Monday, the United Kingdom and the European Union requested that the United Nations Human Rights Council hold a special session in response to the continuing political crisis in Myanmar.

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