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myanmarKeeping up pressure on election opponents, the military government has charged more than 200 people with violating the Southeast Asian country’s voting law ahead of general elections at the end of the month.
Critics of the election, scheduled to begin on December 28, claim it will be neither free nor fair and designed to add a facade of legitimacy to military rule that began after the military ousted the elected government in February 2021. Aung San Suu Kyi,
The takeover triggered widespread popular protests that escalated into civil war, complicating the holding of elections in several disputed areas. This is one reason why voting will be held in three phases, the second on January 11 and the third on January 25.
The election law implemented under military rule carries severe penalties, including the death penalty, for opposing or disrupting elections.
mass arrests
Minister of Home Affairs Lt.-Gen. Tun Tun Naung told a meeting on Tuesday that authorities had identified and taken action against 229 people – 201 men and 28 women – in 140 cases of attempting to sabotage the election process, according to the state-run Myanma Alin newspaper.
The report did not provide details about those charged or say how many were arrested.
The new law, enacted in July, says anyone who speaks, organizes, incites, protests or distributes letters to disrupt any part of the electoral process will be punished with a prison term of three to 10 years, as well as a fine. In other crimes, there is a provision for punishment up to death penalty.
State media recently released the names of some of the accused, including well-known activists Taiser San, Nan Lin and Htet Myat Aung, who led a bold protest on December 3 in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, calling on the public to reject the elections, abolish the military conscription law and release political prisoners.
The General Strike Coordination Body, a leading non-violent organization opposing military rule, said in a statement on Wednesday that one of its members, Htet Myit Aung, was arrested by security forces in Mandalay and allegedly ill-treated during his arrest.
The 24-year-old man’s life is in imminent danger, the statement said. The Associated Press could not confirm his condition.
State media reports said the accused included filmmakers, an actor and comedian, children, members of the People’s Defense Forces – a pro-democracy militia formed after the military takeover – and members of ethnic armed groups fighting the army.
Most were reportedly accused of actions such as destroying campaign posters, threatening or arresting election workers, and posting comments on social media. Some of them received prison sentences of up to 49 years, according to local media reports, including online news site Myanmar Now.
Vote for Myanmar, not for the international community
Military government spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun said at a briefing on Sunday that it does not matter whether the international community is satisfied or dissatisfied with the election because it is being done for Myanmar, not for the international community.
“Those who want to criticize can do so,” Zaw Min Tun said. “We will continue to pursue our original objective of returning to a multi-party democratic system.”
A major reason the election is seen as unfair is that Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, or NLD, party cannot compete because it was forced to disband in 2023. It won a landslide victory in the 2015 election, bringing it to power for the first time, and its victory margin increased in the 2020 elections.
The military blocked the NLD from seeking a second term in 2021, with the excuse that there were irregularities that invalidated the process. Independent election observers disagreed and said there were no substantial problems.
Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a total of 27 years in prison after being convicted in a series of politically tainted trials brought by the military on what many consider fraudulent grounds. Recent reports have raised concerns about his health, but the Army on Tuesday refuted them, saying he is in good health.