YANGON: The United Nations and Western governments voiced alarm on Friday over threats by Myanmar’s military that have stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was following with “great concern” developments in Myanmar, where the army has said it would take action if complaints about the election are not addressed. An army spokesman on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of seizing power.
Australia, Britain, Canada, the European Union and United States, and 12 other nations, in a separate statement urged the military to “adhere to democratic norms”.
They said they opposed “any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition”.
A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment.
Talks between the civilian government and army failed to ease tensions ahead of parliament’s opening on Monday, a ruling party spokesman said as pro-military protesters gathered in two cities.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in the November 8 poll, only the second election deemed free and fair by international observers since the end of direct military rule in 2011.
But allegations by the army of widespread voter fraud, which the electoral commission denies, have led to the most direct confrontation yet between the civilian government and the military.
The country’s constitution reserves 25 per cent of seats in parliament for the military, which has demanded a resolution to its complaints ahead of Monday, when parliament is set to convene, and has refused to be drawn on whether its lawmakers will show up.
The commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, told military personnel on Wednesday that the constitution should be repealed if it was not abided by, citing previous instances when charters had been abolished in Myanmar.
A Western diplomat in Yangon said information about the situation was hard to verify because “not many people speak with one of the sides”, referring to the army, but a coup would be a “tragic eventuality”.
“The country is defined by that history, so this would be unforgiveable. The people from Myanmar would consider that unforgiveable,” the diplomat said.
Suu Kyi has not made any public comment on the dispute. A spokesman for her NLD said members had met military leaders on Thursday for talks but said they were “not successful”. “We do have concerns but they are not too significant,” the spokesman, Myo Nyunt, said by telephone, explaining how they had anticipated some tension due to the NLD’s plan to amend the constitution after the vote to curb the power of the military. — Reuters
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