Myanmar’s junta leader indicated that military rule will be extended again after the current state of emergency expires at the end of this month, telling the cabinet on Thursday that “much remains to be done to restore stability and rule of law across the union.”
If extended, the country will be under military rule for another six months as permitted by the constitution.
The state of emergency was initially declared in February 2021, when the military ousted the democratically elected government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has been in chaos since then.
The country’s constitution states that an emergency can be declared for an initial period of one year and can “normally” be extended for a maximum of two half-year terms at the discretion of the military-dominated National Defense and Security Council.
On January 31, Min Aung Hlaing extended the emergency for a third time by six months, citing an “extraordinary situation” – resistance against the regime.
Two weeks before the state of emergency expires on July 31, Min Aung Hlaing told his ministers that the election he had promised cannot take place without peace and stability and the rule of law across the country. Consequently, “power can’t be transferred to the winning party” as he had promised.
To support his claim of instability, Min Aung Hlaing cited casualty figures allegedly inflicted by resistance forces, or in his words, terrorists. There were a total of 489 explosions from January 1 to July 11 this year, resulting in 782 fatalities, he said.
Min Aung Hlaing also called for increased military operations in Sagaing Region as well as Chin and Kayah states, saying “terrorist” attacks are the worst there. The two states and region are major resistance strongholds.
Min Aung Hlaing has admitted that the regime has no control over 130 townships with martial law imposed in nearly 50 townships in Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing, and Magwe regions, as well as Chin and Kayah states.
