Myanmar’s Union Election Commission rejected allegations by the military that fraud played a significant role in determining the outcome of elections in November last year, which delivered a landslide victory to the ruling National League for Democracy, while embassies and other global bodies yesterday urged calm.
The decision, announced on Thursday, came amid heightened tensions after the military, which had ruled Myanmar for five decades until 2015, refused to rule out the possibility of a coup if its complaints were ignored.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy captured 396 out of 476 seats in the Nov. 8 polls, allowing it to form the government for another five years.
Photo: Reuters
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won only 33 seats.
The military has been calling on the government and the commission to review the results.
It said that it has found 8.6 million irregularities in voter lists in 314 townships that could have let voters cast multiple ballots or commit other “voting malpractice,” but the commission said there was no evidence to support the claims.
On Tuesday, a military spokesperson declined to rule out a coup, saying that the military would continue to file complaints about alleged irregularities in line with laws and the Burmese constitution.
The rhetoric prompted calls for calm yesterday from the international community.
More than a dozen embassies, including the US and EU delegation, urged Myanmar to “adhere to democratic norms,” joining the UN in a chorus of international concern about a possible coup.
The US embassy — along with 16 countries, including former colonial power Britain and the EU delegation — released a statement urging the military to “adhere to democratic norms.”
“We look forward to the peaceful convening of the parliament on February 1 and the election of the president and speakers,” the statement said.
We “oppose any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition,” it said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also raised “great concern” over the developments, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
“He urges all actors to desist from any form of incitement or provocation, demonstrate leadership, and to adhere to democratic norms and respecting the outcome of the” election,” Dujarric said in a statement.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
RSS