Bangkok
AP
—
Myanmar’s military junta has indicted more than 200 people for violating the Southeast Asian country’s voting laws ahead of a general election later this month, increasing pressure on opponents of voting.
Critics of the elections, which begin Dec. 28, say they are neither free nor fair and are aimed at providing a semblance of legitimacy to military rule, which began after the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
The takeover sparked widespread public opposition, led to civil war, and made voting difficult in many disputed areas. This is one reason why voting will be held in three stages, the second on January 11th and the third on January 25th.
Under election laws enacted under military rule, opposing or interfering with voting carries penalties as severe as the death penalty.
Interior Minister Lieutenant General Tun Tun Naung told a meeting on Tuesday that authorities had identified and taken action against 229 people (201 men and 28 women) in 140 cases of attempts to disrupt the electoral process, according to the state-run Myanmar Alin newspaper.
The report did not provide details of those charged or the number of arrests.
A new law enacted in July states that anyone who speaks, organizes, incites, protests, or distributes letters that disrupts any part of the electoral process is subject to three to 10 years in prison and a fine. Other crimes carry a maximum penalty of death.
State media recently published the names of those charged. They include prominent activists Tysar San, Nang Linh and Thet Myat Aung, who led a bold protest in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, on December 3, calling on people to reject elections, repeal military conscription laws and release political prisoners.
The General Strike Coordination Body, the main non-violent organization opposed to military rule, said in a statement on Wednesday that one of its members, Thet Myat Aung, was arrested by security forces in Mandalay and is suspected of being abused during his arrest.
The statement said the 24-year-old’s life was in immediate danger. The Associated Press could not confirm his condition.
Those indicted include filmmakers, actors, comedians, children, members of the People’s Defense Forces (a pro-democracy militia formed after the military takeover) and members of ethnic armed groups fighting the military, state media reported.
Most are accused of vandalizing election posters, threatening or arresting election officials, and posting comments on social media, according to reports. Some of them have been sentenced to up to 49 years in prison, according to local media reports, including the online news site Myanmar Now.
Junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said at a press conference on Sunday that it doesn’t matter whether the international community is happy or dissatisfied because the elections will be held for Myanmar, not the international community.
“If you want to criticize, just criticize,” Zaw Min Tun said. “We will continue to pursue our original goal of returning to a multiparty democratic system,” he said.
The election is considered unfair mainly because Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is forced to dissolve in 2023 and cannot compete. The NLD won a landslide victory in the 2015 elections when it first came to power, and expanded its victory in the 2020 polls.
The military seized power in 2021 and blocked the NLD from taking office for a second term on the pretext of irregularities that nullified the process. Independent election observers disagreed, saying there were no substantive problems.
Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a total of 27 years in prison after being convicted in a series of politically tainted prosecutions brought by the military, many on false grounds. Recent reports have raised concerns about her health, but the military denied the reports on Tuesday and said she was in good health.
