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BurmaShow of force by the junta for the 75th anniversary of independence
Burmese troops marched through the streets of Naypyidaw on Wednesday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the independence of this former British colony.
At dawn, tanks, missile launchers and other armored vehicles roamed the streets of the capital, AFP correspondents noted, kicking off a military parade marking the 75 years of Burma’s independence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a close ally and arms supplier to the Burmese military junta, sent his “heartfelt greetings” and predicted the “future development” of their relationship. Isolated from the rest of the world, the Burmese junta had deemed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine “justified”. For its part, the United States Embassy warned of a “potential increase in attacks, targeted fire or explosions” on Wednesday.
AFP correspondents have also noted a strengthening of security in the commercial heart of the country, the city of Yangon, which has been hit by a series of bomb attacks in recent months.
Previously, Myanmar’s National Day was celebrated with numerous festive gatherings in parks and public spaces across the country.
clashes
Since the 2021 military coup, much of the Southeast Asian country has been plagued by clashes between the junta and local militias who have taken up arms against the military.
The Burmese junta, which recently concluded a series of closed trials against Aung San Suu Kyi, is preparing for new elections later this year, which have already been called a “sham” by the United States.
The army justified its 2021 coup by claiming to have discovered millions of irregular ballots during the last vote, considered to be generally free by international observers.
The former British colony declared its independence on January 4, 1948, after a long fight led by General Aung San, the father of the deposed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Anti-Rohingya Buddhist monk rewarded by military junta
An extremist Buddhist monk, Ashin Wirathu, famous for his diatribes of hatred against Muslims in Burma, received a national award on Tuesday from the military junta, which praised his work.
Nicknamed “The Buddhist bin Laden” by the American magazine “Time” after the 2013 communal violence in Burma, Ashin Wirathu was given the title of “Thiri Pianchy”, the military junta said. This award, given in the name of “outstanding work for the good of the Union of Burma”, was presented to him by the head of the military junta, Min Aung Hlaing.
Ashin Wirathu is one of hundreds of people who received honorary titles as the Burmese junta celebrates the 75th anniversary of the former British colony’s independence on Wednesday.
(AFP)