Military chief Min Aung Hlaing vows to accept election results after public spat with government

Comments come after week of tension with government that led to speculation of a possible coup

Published on Nov 8, 2020

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing raises his inked finger after voting in Naypyitaw’s Zeya Thiri township on Sunday morning (Nyan Hlaing Lin/Myanmar Now)

Tatmadaw commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing promised to respect the result of the election after casting his vote in Naypyitaw on Sunday, despite his recent spat with the government over comments he made questioning the credibility of the poll.

Speaking to reporters as he left the polling station in Zeyar Thiri township, the Senior General said: “I’ll have to accept the people’s wish and the results that come with it. There’s no denying it.”

“We need to think about the public’s feelings and concerns and aim to console them,” he added. “This is very important for me. To ease the pain of citizens and what they’re feeling. It’s a must.”

Asked which party he voted for, he said: “A party that prioritises nationalism, religion, and education. And the party that prioritises our three main national causes.”

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He added: “I voted for a party that would work well with us. I completely believe it’s a group of people that can create a better future.”

Zeyar Thiri township is where Than Htay, the chair of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, is competing for a seat.

General Sein Win, the defense minister, told Myanmar Now before casting his vote that he hoped for results that would be best for the country.

This week Min Aung Hlaing suggested in a media interview that the Union Election Commission and the government had not done enough to ensure a free and fair election and should “be careful”.

The comments will raise eyebrows among rights groups, who regard a 2008 constitution written to preserve the military’s political power as one of the main impediments to free and fair elections in Myanmar.

The President's Office hit back at Min Aung Hlaing’s comments by claiming he had violated the constitution and the Civil Services Personnel Law by expressing a political affiliation.

“Civil services personnel must be free from political affiliation,” said the Office’s spokesperson, Zaw Htay, during a press conference.

The military responded that protecting the constitution was one of its key duties, and said the commander-in-chief’s position came with as much power as a vice president’s. The spat led some to speculate about a possible coup.

Min Aung Aung has also drawn the ruling party’s disapproval by instructing soldiers to provide assistance to voters with food and transportation to polling stations.

An NLD spokesperson told Myanmar Now that the party objected to the military’s plan, which would involve stationing plainclothes soldiers at polling stations.

Nyan Hlaing Lin

Nyan Hlaing Lin is Senior Reporter with Myanmar Now

Min Min

Min Min is Naypyidaw-based reporter with Myanmar Now.

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Karenni resistance fighters agree to ceasefire as number of IDPs passes 100,000

The move was announced on Tuesday following talks with military officials and religious leaders

Myanmar Now

Published on Jun 16, 2021

The Myanmar military has damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings, including churches, since clashes with Karenni resistance fighters began in late May. (Supplied)

Karenni resistance forces announced the suspension of attacks on regime troops in northern Kayah (Karenni) and southern Shan states on Tuesday amid a growing crisis facing displaced civilians in the region.

The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), a coalition of anti-junta forces formed on May 31, made the decision following talks with military and religious leaders late last week.

The move comes as the number of civilians displaced by the nearly month-old conflict has surpassed 100,000, according to the United Nations human rights agency OHCHR.

The KNDF consists of civilians from Loikaw, Demoso, and Nan Mei Khon in Kayah State and Moebye and Pekhon in southern Shan State, as well as ethnic armed forces based in the region.

The KNDF did not specify how long its ceasefire would last, but said it would continue to oppose the military junta in various ways. It also urged people to be united, prepared and cautious.

On June 11, representatives of three Karenni armed groups involved in the KNDP met with army personnel from the Eastern Command and Christian religious leaders in Taunggyi, Shan State, to discuss the ongoing situation.

The armed groups that attended the meeting were reportedly the Kayan New Land Party, the Karenni National People's Liberation Front, and the Karenni National Peace and Development Party.

“The armed groups talked to the military council about the armed conflict. Our religious groups mainly discussed allowing humanitarian channels for displaced people,” a Catholic priest from Loikaw told Myanmar Now.

The church, which has taken a leading role in efforts to mitigate harm to civilians caught in the conflict, has also been a target of attacks, with at least eight churches damaged or destroyed by the military since fighting began.

Religious leaders demanded that relief workers be allowed to transport food and other supplies safely and without hindrance.

“The commander said he would consider measures for the displaced people. The people are in real trouble. Living in the jungle during the rainy season is very difficult. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable,” the priest said.

During the meeting, no agreement was reached to guarantee the security of displaced locals, but the situation is likely to be more stable than before, he added.

“I haven’t heard any gunfire for a day or two since the meeting,” he said, noting that some civilians have also returned to their homes in recent days.

“But people are still very worried. There’s a ceasefire, but they don’t know how long it will last. They’re worried that troops will come and arrest them at night if they return. They are still in so much fear.”

Some residents who returned to Demoso on Tuesday discovered that their homes had been destroyed during the clashes, according to local sources.

The military has used heavy artillery and airstrikes against local anti-regime resistance forces since clashes began in the area in late May.

In addition to killing numerous civilians in these attacks, the military has also imposed restrictions on the transport of food, fuel and other essential commodities into Kayah State since May 28, creating widespread shortages of basic necessities.

On June 11, the day that a six-day-old boy died of a cold while his family was fleeing from clashes in Pekhon Township, the military set fire to an ambulance and vehicles carrying food and medical supplies for displaced people in the township.

In an article published by a state-run newspaper, the regime claimed that it had merely seized supplies from “terrorists”.

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Student activists, journalists being mistreated in Insein prison, say family members

Relatives of seven young detainees say they are at risk since being separated and placed in cells with hardened criminals

Myanmar Now

Published on Jun 15, 2021

Family members of the seven prisoners pictured here have expressed concern for their safety

Family members of seven detainees in Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison say that they are being mistreated by prison authorities for not complying with orders.

The seven prisoners—five student activists and two freelance journalists—had been locked up together since their arrest in late February and March, but were separated on April 22 for refusing to read out the prison rules.

They spent the next week in solitary confinement, and have since been placed in different cells with criminal prisoners, the family members said.

“They each have to share a cell with more than a hundred criminals who are facing long years of imprisonment. They have been separated and can’t see each other,” said a relative of detained activist Hpone Htet Naung.

Student activists Wai Yan Phyo Moe, Aung Hpone Maw, Lay Pyay Soe Moe, Thuta Soe, and Hpone Htet Naung are facing charges of incitement under Section 505a for taking part in anti-coup protests.

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Demonstrators react after being exposed to teargas fired by the police during a protest in Naypyitaw on March 8 (EPA)

Freelance journalists Soe Yarzar Tun and Banyar Oo were arrested while covering the protests. They have also been charged with incitement, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

All seven are being tried by a special court inside Insein Prison, according to relatives, who say that they have denied access to the prisoners.

The family members said that the young detainees have received threats from criminal prisoners and are completely at the mercy of prison officials to resolve conflicts.

“They aren’t being treated like political prisoners. They’re being treated like criminals. This is not right. They’re drained mentally and physically,” said a relative of one of the prisoners.

Thet Naung, a lawyer representing Wai Yan Phyo Moe and Hpone Htet Naung, said his clients have also expressed concern about their current situation.

“They told me at a hearing that they’ve been worried about their safety since they were placed with criminals,” he told Myanmar Now.

One of the relatives said that the prisoners were being mistreated because of their strong political stance.

“They were fighting for the truth. Student leaders like them are being oppressed so that they can no longer defy the military. It’s like a warning. It’s political persecution,” he said.

However, the family members said they were confident that the detainees would not give in to pressure.

“The military puts dissidents in prison, barely keeping them alive. It is killing their futures. But I believe my son will keep fighting until his last breath. He is strong-willed and has a strong stance,” said Wai Yan Phyo Moe’s mother.

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Men in civilian clothes attack NLD buildings in Mandalay with guns and grenades

Nobody was hurt in the attacks, which took place on Sunday and Monday evenings

Myanmar Now

Published on Jun 15, 2021

Office of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party in Mandalay’s Chanaye Tharzan township was attacked on Sunday night (CJ)

Armed attackers in civilian clothes targeted several buildings in Mandalay linked to the National League for Democracy (NLD) on Sunday and Monday using guns and grenades.

The attackers targeted two of the party’s offices, the home of its jailed vice-chair Zaw Myint Maung, and a hotel whose owner supported the NLD in the last two elections.

There were two explosions outside Zaw Myint Maung’s home in Amarapura Township at 9pm on Monday, Mizzima reported.

“A white car showed up to throw the explosive,” a witness told the outlet. “A similar car was seen near the township office as well. Two explosives went off, one after the other. There was no one at home, so no injuries.”

The vice-chair, who is also the deposed chief minister of Mandalay, has been detained since February 1 and faces numerous charges.

In Tampa Waddy ward, just outside of the city, a group of men fired six bullets at the Pan Taw Oo hotel. They then threw two grenades at the building, which was locked and empty at the time of the attack.

The men arrived in a Toyota Mark II car and on a motorbike, said Myint Cho, the owner.

“There was someone on foot as well,” he told Myanmar Now. “It was around 10pm. First they fired a gun, then they threw a grenade.”

The building's windows and walls were damaged but he has not been able to enter the hotel yet to survey the damage inside, he said.

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The reception of Pan Taw Oo hotel seen in 2018 (Supplied)

Though he is not a party member, Myint Cho actively supported an NLD-led campaign to amend the military-drafted 2008 constitution, and also backed the party in its 2015 and 2020 election campaigns.

On Sunday night, a group of men broke into the NLD’s office on 62nd street and destroyed campaign posters, DVB reported.

Another party office in Chan Mya Tharzi Township was attacked the same evening with two grenades, only one of which exploded.

The military has not commented on the incidents.