Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The head of Myanmar’s junta on Monday blamed instability for stalling efforts to implement a peace plan agreed with other Southeast Asian countries as he extended a state of emergency for another six months. The junta first declared a state of emergency after the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi seized power in a coup last February. Myanmar has been in chaos ever since, with the conflict spreading after the military crushed mostly peaceful protests in towns and cities. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to a five-point “consensus” to end hostilities last year, but there are no signs the junta is implementing the five-point plan, which includes an end to violence and dialogue. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech broadcast on state media that Myanmar was trying to overcome the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic while facing internal violence. “So it was difficult to implement the ASEAN consensus because of the lack of stability,” said Min Aung Hlaing, adding that only when the situation is “normal” could progress be made. Western governments denounced the coup and the detention on various charges of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi and many of her party members and supporters. Some members of ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member and which has a tradition of not interfering in each other’s internal affairs, also criticized the generals. While the junta failed to implement the ASEAN plan, it never rejected it. “Our country is an ASEAN state, so we value ASEAN conventions,” said Min Aung Hlaing. While Min Aung Hlaing did not mention the extension of the state of emergency in his speech, state media reported that a military government defense and security council unanimously approved his request for six more months.
“PROGRESS IN SIX MONTHS”
The junta said it had to take power last year because of vote fraud in the November 2020 general election that Suu Kyi’s party easily won. Election monitoring teams found no evidence of massive fraud. The military has pledged to hold new elections in August 2023, although the timetable has already slipped and opponents do not believe they would be free and fair. Security forces have killed more than 2,100 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group. The junta has said such tolls are excessive. The true picture of the violence has become harder to assess since lightly armed People’s Defense Forces have emerged to take on the army, often in more remote areas where ethnic minority rebels are also fighting the army. In his speech, Min Aung Hlaing blamed “terrorists” for the casualties. The military has branded its armed rivals and a rival shadow National Unity government set up by pro-democracy politicians as “terrorists”. The junta has faced sanctions from many Western countries and last week was further condemned after the execution of four democracy activists it accused of “terrorist acts”. read more Min Aung Hlaing also highlighted the economy, which has slumped since the pandemic and as the coup ended a decade of reforms. “I think we can see progress within six months,” he said, citing the prospect of more jobs and a focus on agriculture. The World Bank predicts Myanmar’s economy will grow by 3% this financial year after contracting 18% last year and warned that a return to pre-pandemic levels is unlikely in the near future. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Reuters staff. Ed Davies writes. Edited by Tom Hogue & Simon Cameron-Moore Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
