Burmese troops and weaponry yesterday paraded through the military-built capital, Naypyidaw, to mark the country’s Independence Day, days after the junta jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for 33 years.
Swathes of the Southeast Asian country have been engulfed by fighting between junta troops and anti-coup rebels since the military seized power almost two years ago.
The junta, which recently wrapped up a series of closed-court trials of former Burmese state councilor Aung San Suu Kyi, is preparing for fresh elections later this year that the US has said would be a “sham.”
Photo: AFP
Tanks, missile launchers and armored vehicles rolled through the dawn air to a parade ground in the capital, Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondents said, starting a military parade marking 75 years since Myanmar gained independence from Britain.
Civil servants and high-school students followed the troops, accompanied by a military band.
Burmese Army Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was greeted by a 21-gun salute as he arrived at the parade ground.
Photo: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent “sincere greetings,” and said he anticipated the “further development” of relations, the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported.
Russia is a major ally and arms supplier of the isolated junta, which has said that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was “justified.”
Myanmar declared independence from British colonial rule on Jan. 4, 1948, after a long fight championed by General Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Independence Day is normally marked with festive street games, marches and gatherings in public parks and spaces, but since the putsch, celebrations of public holidays have been largely muted as people stay at home in protest against the junta.
AFP correspondents said there was an increased security presence in commercial hub Yangon, which has been hit by a string of bomb attacks in the past few months.
The US embassy yesterday warned of a “potential increases in attacks, targeted shootings or explosions.”
The military has cited massive alleged voter fraud during elections in November 2020, which were won resoundingly by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, as a reason for its coup. International observers said at the time the polls were largely free and fair.
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