Women carry pots of flowers as they take part in a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, 13 April 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
Opponents of the junta in Myanmar have announced a national unity government, including ousted parliamentarians and leaders of protests against ethnic coups and ethnic minorities, saying their goal was to end military rule and restore democracy.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February 1 coup that ousted a civilian government led by Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in power for five years and began his second term after a landslide election victory in November.
People took to the streets day after day to demand the restoration of democracy, defying the challenges of the security forces in which more than 700 people were killed, according to a monitoring group.
At the same time, political leaders, including ousted MPs from Suu Kyi’s party, have tried to organize to show the country and the outside world that they and not the generals are the legitimate political authority.
“Please welcome the people’s government,” veteran Democratic activist Min Ko Naing said in a 10-minute video address announcing the founding of the National Unity Government.
Min Ko Naing outlined few positions, saying that the will of the people is the priority of the unity government, while acknowledging the scope of the task.
“We are trying to get it out of the roots, so we have to sacrifice a lot,” he said, referring to the junta.
A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment.
The generals justified their takeover with accusations of fraud in the Suu Kyi election in November, although the electoral commission rejected the objections.
One of the primary objectives of the unit is to win international support and recognition.
International Cooperation Minister Dr Sasa told reporters the United States and Britain had recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legal leader.
“We are the democratically elected leaders of Myanmar,” Sasa said. “So if the free and democratic world rejects us, it means they are rejecting democracy.”
International pressure has also built on the military in Myanmar, especially from Western governments that have imposed limited sanctions, although the generals have kept a long record of what they see as outside interference. read more
The unity government has released a list of office bearers, including members of ethnic minorities and protest leaders, and underlined the unity of purpose between the pro-democracy movement and autonomy-seeking minority communities, some of which have been fighting the central government for decades.
Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, is listed as a state adviser, the position she held in government.
The only known communication she has had with the outside world since the coup was video calls monitored with her lawyers. A spokesman for the Democratic politician said although they could not inform her about the unity government, he was sure she was aware of what had happened.
‘SILENT REGION’
Sasa told Reuters the aim is to end violence, restore democracy and build a ‘federal democratic union’. The military has long seen itself as the nuclear force holding the country together, while playing the lips of the idea of federalism.
Unity government leaders have said they plan to form a federal army and are in talks with ethnic minority forces.
The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, a group of international experts, including former United Nations officials, considered the creation of the NUG historic and said it was the legitimate government.
While politicians announced the unity government, other opponents of military rule observed a ‘silent strike’ that remained at home to mourn the dead or blacks in small marches in half a dozen cities and towns, the media reported.
Streets in the capital Yangon were largely deserted, residents said.
There were no immediate reports of violence during protests on Friday, but six people were killed the day before in a shootout between soldiers and a ‘local group’ in central Kani city, Myanmar Now media agency reported.
The military has also joined critics. Two leading protest organizers were arrested on Thursday.
The unrest and the prospect of escalating conflict have prompted Myanmar’s neighbors in Southeast Asia, who have been trying to encourage talks between the rival parties.
Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar, will meet in Indonesia on April 24 to discuss the situation, Thai and Indonesian media reported.
Junta minister senior general Min Aung Hlaing would attend, a Thai broadcaster said, but the Jakarta Post said it had not been confirmed whether representatives of the junta or the former government would be at the summit.
Sasa has said ASEAN should not invite ‘main killer’ Min Aung Hlaing.
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