Latest news with #AungSanSuuKyi
Sinar Daily
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
Myanmar junta mandates prison sentences for election critics
Individuals convicted face between three and seven years behind bars, while offences committed in groups can result in sentences between five and 10 years. 01 Aug 2025 12:01pm Member of Myanmar's military patrol on a street in Yangon on July 19, 2025, on the 78th Martyrs' Day that marks the anniversary of the assassination of independence leaders, including general Aung San, father of the currently deposed and imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (Photo by AFP) YANGON - Myanmar's junta said Wednesday it has enacted a new law dictating prison sentences for critics or protesters of their planned election, which is being boycotted by opposition groups. The junta seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a many-sided civil war, and has touted elections at the end of this year as a path to peace. Opposition groups -- including democratic lawmakers ousted by the military takeover -- and international monitors have called the poll a ploy to legitimise the junta's rule. State newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar said the "Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic Elections from Obstruction, Disruption and Destruction" was enacted on Tuesday. Its 14-page text forbids "any speech, organising, inciting, protesting or distributing leaflets in order to destroy a part of the electoral process". Individuals convicted face between three and seven years behind bars, while offences committed in groups can result in sentences between five and 10 years. The legislation also outlaws damaging ballot papers and polling stations, as well as the intimidation or harm of voters, candidates and election workers, with a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. If anyone is killed during an attempt to disrupt the election "everyone involved in the crime faces the death penalty", the law says. Swathes of Myanmar are beyond the control of the junta and some government census workers deployed last year to gather data ahead of the poll faced resistance and security threats. Data could not be collected from an estimated 19 million of the country's 51 million people, provisional results said, in part because of "significant security constraints". Analysts have predicted the myriad of anti-coup guerrillas and ethnic armed groups the junta is battling may stage offensives in the run-up to the vote as a sign of their opposition. A UN expert called on the international community last month to reject the election plan as "a fraud". Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in Myanmar, said the junta is "trying to create this mirage of an election exercise that will create a legitimate civilian government". - AFP More Like This
CNN
5 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Myanmar's junta ends four-year state of emergency ahead of planned elections but top general still in charge
AsiaFacebookTweetLink Follow Myanmar's military on Thursday nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim government ahead of a planned election, with the junta chief remaining in charge of the war-torn country in his other role as acting president. An announcement in state media said a decree that granted power to the military after its 2021 coup had been canceled and a caretaker administration had been formed alongside a special commission to oversee the election. The move signals no change to the status quo in Myanmar, with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing holding on to all major levers of power as acting president while retaining his position as chief of the armed forces. A nationwide state of emergency in place since the coup, which was due to expire on Thursday after seven extensions, has now been lifted, said Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesperson. 'The interim president and commander in chief said this upcoming six months are the time to prepare and host the election,' he told state media. Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi's elected civilian government plunged the Southeast Asian nation into civil war, with the military fighting to contain a rebellion and accused of widespread atrocities, which it denies. The election has been dismissed by Western governments as a sham to entrench the generals' power and is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, with opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part. David Mathieson, an independent Myanmar-focused analyst, said the change in power was cosmetic and those in charge would continue to be abusive and repressive. 'They are just rearranging the same pieces and calling the regime a new name,' he said. 'This is part of preparations for an election which we don't know much about.' The extent of the civil war's impact on the planned election remains unclear. In an effort to create voter rolls, the junta held a nationwide census last year but was only able to conduct it in 145 out of Myanmar's 330 townships - reflecting its lack of control over swathes of the country. At a meeting of defense officials on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing said voting in the election would be held in different areas in December and January due to security concerns, state-run MRTV reported in its nightly news bulletin. Martial law and a state of emergency would be imposed in more than 60 townships across nine regions and states due to the threat of violence and insurgency, the report said, many in border areas where the military is facing unprecedented resistance from rebel groups. China's foreign ministry on Thursday said it 'supports Myanmar's development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar's steady advancement of its domestic political agenda.' The military has killed more than 6,000 people and arbitrarily detained over 20,000 since the coup, with more than 3.5 million people internally displaced, an Amnesty International report said in January. Myanmar's military has dismissed allegations of abuses as Western disinformation. It justified its 2021 coup as a necessary intervention following what it said was widespread fraud in an election three months earlier that was won decisively by Suu Kyi's now defunct ruling party. Election monitors found no evidence of fraud that would have changed the outcome.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Myanmar ends state of emergency and its military leader switches roles to prepare for the vote
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military council, inspects officers during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 80th Armed Forces Day, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) BANGKOK — Myanmar's military government announced on Thursday that it was ending the state of emergency declared after it seized power in 2021 and would restructure administrative bodies to prepare for the new election at the end of the year. However, the polls planned for an unspecified date in December face serious obstacles, including a civil war raging over most of the country and pledges by opponents of the military rule to derail the election because they believe it can be neither free nor fair. Under the restructuring, the head of the military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, is giving up two posts but will stay at the center of power as acting president. The development came as the last of seven consecutive six-month, emergency-rule decrees was set to expire Thursday at midnight. The reshuffle The military imposed emergency rule and created new administrative structures after it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, arresting her and members of her ruling National League for Democracy party. ΓÇïΓÇï The military claimed Suu Kyi's government failed to address fraud claims in the 2020 election, though independent observers did not find irregularities. The emergency decree empowered the military to assume all government functions, giving legislative, judicial and executive powers to Min Aung Hlaing as head of the ruling military council, formally called the State Administration Council. Under the restructuring, Min Aung Hlaing will have more influence as Myanmar's acting president even though he has relinquished the job of prime minister to his advisor, Gen. Nyo Saw. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the military's spokesperson, said that 'elections will be held within six months after the emergency period is lifted.' Also, existing administrative bodies formed after the army takeover, including the State Administration Council, have been now dissolved and all government functions have been handed to the National Defense and Security Council, the spokesperson said. The council is nominally a constitutional administrative government body, but is in practice controlled by the military. Min Aung Hlaing, as acting president, is already its key member. Another level of power MRTV state television also reported that the council has formed a new entity, the State Security and Peace Commission, to monitor the election process, which is also being headed by Min Aung Hlaing, handing him even more power. MRTV later said other agencies undergoing a reshuffle included the State Election Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission. Problems and security challenges The army's 2021 takeover was met with widespread peaceful protests that security forces suppressed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance and embroiling Myanmar in a civil war. As of Wednesday, 7,013 people have been killed and 29,471 have been arrested by the security forces since the takeover, according to tallies kept by the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The military government has challenged those tallies. Opponents and independent analysts estimate the army now controls less than half the country while maintaining a tenacious grip on much of central Myanmar, including the capital, Naypyidaw. It has accelerated counter-offensives to retake areas controlled by opposition forces ahead of the election. The military originally announced elections for August 2023, but then repeatedly pushed back the date. It remains unclear when a date would be set for the December vote. Critics say the elections won't be democratic because there is no free media and most leaders of Suu Kyi's party have been arrested. The plan is widely seen as an attempt to legitimize and maintain the military's rule. A separate announcement later Thursday on MRTV said that new states of emergency or martial law would be imposed for 90 days in 63 townships across nine out of the country's 14 regions. The report said this was meant to ensure the rule of law and stability in those areas, mostly under the control of armed opposition groups. Standing against elections The opposition umbrella group calling itself National Unity Government and the powerful ethnic armed groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy have said they would seek to deter the election. Nay Phone Latt, a National Unity Government spokesperson, said Thursday's reshuffling was a step to ward creating a 'fake' election. 'Nothing will change ... and we will continue to fight until we achieve our goals based on our roadmaps,' Nay Phone Latt said. By Grant Peck.
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Myanmar forms interim government before election but top general still in charge
Myanmar 's military on Thursday nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim government in advance of a planned election, with the junta chief remaining in charge of the war-torn country in his other role as acting president. An announcement in state media said a decree that granted power to the military after its 2021 coup had been cancelled and a caretaker administration had been formed alongside a special commission to oversee the election. The move signals no change to the status quo in Myanmar, with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing holding on to all major levers of power as acting president while retaining his position as chief of the armed forces. A nationwide state of emergency in place since the coup, which was due to expire on Thursday after seven extensions, has now been lifted, said Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesman. READ MORE 'The interim president and commander in chief said this upcoming six months are the time to prepare and host the election,' he told state media. Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi 's elected civilian government plunged the Southeast Asian nation into civil war, with the military fighting to contain a rebellion and accused of widespread atrocities, which it denies. The election has been dismissed by western governments as a sham to entrench the general's power and is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, with opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part. David Mathieson, an independent Myanmar-focused analyst, said the change in power was cosmetic and those in charge would continue to be abusive and repressive. 'They are just rearranging the same pieces and calling the regime a new name,' he said. 'This is part of preparations for an election which we don't know much about.' The extent of the civil war's impact on the planned election remains unclear. In an effort to create voter rolls, the junta held a nationwide census last year but was only able to conduct it in 145 out of Myanmar's 330 townships – reflecting its lack of control over swathes of the country. At a meeting of defence officials on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing said voting in the election would be held in different areas in December and January due to security concerns, state-run MRTV reported in its nightly news bulletin. Martial law and a state of emergency would be imposed in more than 60 townships across nine regions and states due to the threat of violence and insurgency, the report said, many in border areas where the military is facing unprecedented resistance from rebel groups. China's foreign ministry on Thursday said it 'supports Myanmar's development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar's steady advancement of its domestic political agenda'. The military has killed more than 6,000 people and arbitrarily detained more than 20,000 since the coup, with more than 3.5 million people internally displaced, an Amnesty International report said in January. Myanmar's military has dismissed allegations of abuses as western disinformation. It justified its 2021 coup as a necessary intervention following what it said was widespread fraud in an election three months earlier that was won decisively by Ms Suu Kyi's now defunct ruling party. Election monitors found no evidence of fraud that would have changed the outcome. – Reuters
India.com
13 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
New twist in Myanmar civil war as Junta regime lifts emergency after…, announces elections in…; will this change fate of jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi?
Myanmar junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing orchestrated the 2021 coup to remove the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. (File) Myanmar civil war: In a major twist in the Myanmar civil war, the ruling military junta has lifted the state of emergency across the country, four years after removing the Aung San Suu Kyi government from power in a coup. According to media reports, Myanmar's junta regime also announced that elections will be in the country in six months and formed a commission for the exercise. Why junta army imposed emergency in Myanmar? Myanmar Army had imposed a one-year emergency after then acting President Myint Swe handed over power to current Acting President and junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services. Later, the junta regime established the State Administration Council, which has since extended the emergency after every six months. However, in a major decision, the ruling military junta and its leader Min Aung Hlaing have decided not to extend the emergency beyond July 31, 2025, and also announced the constitution of a commission to hold elections in Myanmar in the next six months. When will elections be held? As per reports, the 11-member commission headed by General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta regime, is tasked with conducting elections in Myanmar within the next six months, the first in the country since the 2021 coup. During the period, General Hlaing will remain in charge as the country's president, they said. Meanwhile, opposition group and critics of the junta regime have announced a complete boycott of the upcoming elections, terming the exercise as a sham and an attempt at legitimizing the Myanmar's military dictatorship. Interestingly, the elections have been announced at a time when when rebel groups fighting in the Myanmar civil war have captured large swathes of the country's territory from the junta army, which currently controls only about one-fifth of the country. Ahead of the election announcement, the junta regime brought a new law which empowers it to hand the death penalty to any person who opposes or disrupts the forthcoming polls. Under the new law, citizens who organize, incite or participate in protests, or disrupt any type of electoral process, could be sentenced to three to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. What happens to Aung San Suu Kyi? The 2021 coup, overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and sparked the Myanmar civil war. Following the coup, the junta regime jailed Suu Kyi and many senior leaders of her National League for Democracy party, and handed a 30-year-prison term to the 79-year-old Nobel laureate after convicting her in a multitude of cases. Experts believe that even after elections, Hlaing will remain the supreme authority in Myanmar as the head of state or the head of the armed forces. Additionally, the elections will be held under the junta army's supervision and strict laws have been introduced to ensure all dissenting voices are suppressed. Thus, its believed that there is little hope for Aung San Suu Kyi to return to national political scene or even her release, before or after the elections.
