Just a few days after the country’s military rulers sentenced the democratically elected leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to 33 years in prison, Myanmar troops and weapons have paraded through the capital, Naypyidaw, to commemorate 75 years of independence from Britain.
According to the Agence France-Presse news agency, tanks, missile launchers, and armored cars made their way through the early morning air on Wednesday to a parade ground in the capital to kick off a military procession to commemorate the 75th anniversary of independence.
A military band and high school students and civil servants followed the troops. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the military ruler of the nation, was greeted at the parade ground with a 21-gun salute.
According to the state-run Myanmar newspaper Global New Light, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent “sincere greetings” and anticipated the “further development” of relations.
Russia is a significant partner and arms provider of Myanmar’s secluded military system, which has said Moscow’s intrusion of Ukraine was “supported”.
After a long struggle led by General Aung San, the late father of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar declared independence from British colonial rule on January 4, 1948.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, who has been imprisoned by the military since a coup in 2021, received her final guilty verdict and sentence on Friday after a series of charges that rights groups call politically motivated. She now has to serve 33 years in prison.
On Independence Day, celebratory street games, marches, and gatherings in public parks and places are common. However, as people protest against the military, celebrations of public holidays have been largely muted since the military coup.
Wraps of Myanmar have been inundated by battling between government powers and hostile to upset contenders since the military held onto power very nearly a long time back.
According to AFP correspondents, there was a heightened security presence on Wednesday in Yangon, a commercial hub that has been the target of numerous bomb attacks in recent months.
Additionally, a “potential increase in attacks, targeted shootings, or explosions” was mentioned by the American embassy.
It would appear that the military government is getting ready for new elections later this year, which the United States has said will be a “sham.”
The last fair races in November 2020 were won resoundingly by Aung San Suu Kyi’s Public Association for A majority rule government.
SOURCE: AFP