All posts tagged: Myanmars

Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing takes first foreign tour as leader, with visit to India : NPR

Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing takes first foreign tour as leader, with visit to India : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, then head of Myanmar’s military council, inspects officers during a parade to commemorate Myanmar’s 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2023. Aung Shine Oo/AP hide caption toggle caption Aung Shine Oo/AP Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing is abroad on his first trip as president with a trip to neighboring India. India’s foreign ministry said in a statement the visit will last from Saturday to Wednesday. The former leader of Myanmar’s military will hold talks with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with Indian business leaders. He’s also expected to meet with India President Droupadi Murmu. It’s Min Aung Hlaing’s first international trip since being sworn in as Myanmar’s new president in April, in elections that have been dismissed by Western governments and rights groups as a sham. In 2021, as chief of Myanmar’s armed forces–known as the Tatmadaw–Min Aung Hlaing deposed the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a brutal five year long civil war that shows no sign of ending. Despite the violence, the …

Why Beijing is propping up Myanmar’s brutal junta

Why Beijing is propping up Myanmar’s brutal junta

Published by Sam Flores

“ What’s at stake in this election for the military is its credibility as the leader going forward,” Joe Freeman, Myanmar researcher for Amnesty International told the Battle Lines: Global Health Security podcast.  The purpose of the  election, he said, “is to create kind of an off-ramp from this five years of military rule and show the international community that it’s ready to lead as a responsible civilian government. Of course, that’s all a mirage.” The election, which concludes this week, is not just a veneer of democracy for Myanmar but also a bid by the Chinese to ensure one of its closest neighbours remains stable.  Myanmar shares a 1,300 mile border with China, providing an important link for Beijing to the Indian Ocean. Many note the irony of China, a one party state, supporting a supposedly multi-party election. Beijing sent election monitors and provided technological assistance and funding so that the junta can compile voter lists. “ China will do what is in its interest at the end of the day. We seem to be returning …

Myanmar’s junta holds second phase of widely slammed elections

Myanmar’s junta holds second phase of widely slammed elections

Published by Sam Flores

Myanmar’s junta held the second phase of elections on Sunday that democracy watchdogs warn will let the military prolong its rule, opening polling in the constituency of deposed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The armed forces have ruled Myanmar for most of its post-independence history, snatching back power in a 2021 coup after a decade-long democratic thaw, nullifying the previous poll, detaining Suu Kyi and plunging the country into civil war. With Suu Kyi sidelined and her massively popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say the vote has been rigged by a crackdown on dissent and a ballot stacked with military allies. Polls opened on Sunday morning in dozens of constituencies, including Suu Kyi’s former seat of Kawhmu south of commercial hub Yangon. Farmer Than Than Sint acknowledged Myanmar’s “many problems” but told AFP she voted in pursuit of peace. “We know it will not come right away. But we need to go step-by-step for our future generations,” the 54-year-old said after voting. The junta has pledged the three-phase election will return power to the …

Why China is forcing Myanmar’s brutal junta to stage a pantomime election

Why China is forcing Myanmar’s brutal junta to stage a pantomime election

Published by Sam Flores

Mr Horsey agreed: “Yet again, as it has for 80 years, the military has found a way to hang on and remain in the driver’s seat”. China has been “pushing the regime to proceed with the polls without further delay,” he added. After the first round of voting on December 28, the junta claimed a turnout of 50 per cent, compared to around 70 per cent in 2020. The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party – seen as a proxy for the junta – said it won 80 per cent of seats. Among those willing to speak to the Telegraph, there was a sense of fear and weariness. Those who took part said they did so because there were no other options. “Some people like me will vote because we are tired of fear and uncertainty,” said one 56-year-old man. “Even if we don’t trust the system fully, we hope voting might bring some stability, or at least stop things from getting worse. For me, voting is not about believing in the election, but about …

Video: Myanmar’s military holds first election since 2021 coup | Politics

Video: Myanmar’s military holds first election since 2021 coup | Politics

Published by Sam Flores

NewsFeed Voting is under way in Myanmar’s heavily restricted election, the first since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically-elected government in a coup in 2021. Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng explains the process from a polling station in Yangon. Published On 28 Dec 202528 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Source link