US condemns Myanmar military-led govt's extension of emergency

Washington: The US has denounced the move of Myanmar’s ruling junta to extend a state of emergency for another six months, over two years after seizing power in a coup, and said the military regime has unleashed widespread brutality across the country.

Myanmar's military-led government has officially postponed an election promised by August this year after extending a state of emergency it imposed in the aftermath of its 2021 coup.

In a statement on state television on Monday, the military cited ongoing violence as the reason for the election delay and extension of emergency for another six months starting on Tuesday.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the Burma military regime’s extension of the state of emergency, which comes as the regime plunges the country deeper into violence and instability,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

Over the past two and a half years, since the overthrow of a democratically elected government, the regime has unleashed widespread brutality, conducting hundreds of airstrikes, burning tens of thousands of homes, and displacing over 1.6 million people, he said.

"The regime's relentless disregard for the democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar has prolonged the crisis," the US official said.

To hold the regime accountable, the United States remains committed to collaborating with partners and allies, utilising political and economic tools, he said.

“Our steadfast call is for an end to violence and atrocities, the release of unjustly detained individuals, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access, seeking justice for survivors, and engaging with all stakeholders to pave the way for a peaceful, just, and democratic future for Burma,” Miller said.

Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since the state of emergency was declared when troops arrested the country's elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top officials from her government and members of her National League for Democracy party on February 1, 2021.

Suu Kyi, 78, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison after being convicted in a series of cases brought mostly by the military government.

The military takeover reversed years of progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule. It unleashed a bloody crackdown on dissent that has sparked fighting across swathes of Myanmar while tanking the Southeast Asian country's economy.

The military, which battles anti-coup fighters across the country, first announced that new polls would be held a year after its takeover and later said they would take place in August 2023.

The emergency, which is being extended for a fourth time, allows the military-controlled government to assume all government functions, giving Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the governing council, legislative, judicial and executive powers.