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YANGON: The Myanmar junta leader on Monday (Feb 8) called on the public to prioritize facts and not feelings, and said elections will be held and power will be handed over to the winning party as anti-coup protests are carried out across the country.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in his first speech since a coup a week ago, said that the junta was different from previous military governments. The right ministers were selected, he said, adding that foreign policy will remain unchanged and countries will be encouraged to invest in Myanmar.
He reiterated that there were irregularities in last year’s elections that were ignored and said that no organization was above the law. He did not mention the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi, along with dozens of other members of her National Democracy League party, were detained by the military last week, ending a decade of partial civilian rule and drawing international condemnation.
She faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and is being held by the police for investigation until February 15. Her lawyer said she was not allowed to see her.
The army has already tried to justify his inauguration by electoral fraud, rejected by the electoral committee, and had promised a new vote.
Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that position in his speech Monday, saying that the junta would form a “true and disciplined democracy” different from previous eras of military rule.
The electoral committee must be reformed, he said. He accused him of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to avoid a fair campaign.
“We will have a multi-party election and we will hand over power to whoever wins in that election, in accordance with the rules of democracy,” he said.
He did not give a deadline, but the board has said the state of emergency will last for a year.
LEE: Tens of thousands protest in Myanmar against the military coup
Some government workers have joined doctors and teachers in calling for civil disobedience and strikes.
“We ask government personnel from all departments not to attend work as of Monday,” said activist Min Ko Naing, a veteran of the 1988 demonstrations that brought Suu Kyi to prominence.
Martial law was declared in parts of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, on Monday after hundreds of thousands demonstrated across the country against the coup and the military issued a stern warning against further protests.
The orders cover seven municipalities in Mandalay, prohibit people from protesting or gathering in groups of more than five, and the curfew will run from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., the general administration department said in a statement.
A similar statement has been made in a township in Ayeyarwaddy further south and announcements about other towns are expected tonight.
“This order applies until further notice,” said a statement from Mandalay Township.
“Some people … are behaving in a disturbing way that may harm the safety of the public and law enforcement agencies. Such behaviors may affect the stability, the safety of the people, law enforcement agencies and the peaceful existence of villages and they could create disturbances, that is why this order prohibits gathering, speaking in public, protesting through the use of vehicles, rallies, “the statement said.
