Myanmar junta designates shadow government as a 'terrorist' group
09 May, 2021
Myanmar's junta declared on Saturday (May 8) night a group of ousted lawmakers owning a shadow government would now be classified as "terrorists", as the military moves to tighten its grip over a country in turmoil.
Because the military seized power in a Feb 1 coup, detaining and ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a nationwide uprising has refused to back off in its demands for a return to democracy.
Protesters continue to try the streets daily, while a nationwide boycott by students and faculty and also civil servants across various sectors has brought the united states to a shuddering halt.
Meanwhile, several ousted lawmakers - most of them previously part of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party - have formed a shadow "National Unity Government" to undermine the junta.
On Wednesday, the NUG announced the forming of a so-called "people's defence force" to safeguard civilians facing violence from the military.
By Saturday night, state-run tv announced that the NUG, its people's defence force, and an affiliated group known as the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) - the Burmese word for parliament - were now classified as "terrorist organisations".
"We ask the persons not to ... support terrorist actions, give aid to terrorist actions that threaten the people's security from the CRPH, NUG, and PDF," said the evening news broadcast.
The announcement comes as sporadic bomb blasts set off more often across Myanmar, especially in commercial hub Yangon - which authorities have blamed on "instigators".
Previously, the junta had declared the CRPH and NUG as "unlawful associations", and said getting together with them would be comparable to high treason.
But their new designation as a "terrorist organisation" means anyone speaking to them - including journalists - could be put through charges under counter-terrorism laws.
He faced terrorism charges, carrying penalties which range from three years alive in prison.
While he premiered not long after, the utilization of the counter-terrorism law against journalists sparked fears of a tightening noose around the country's embattled press.
Dozens of journalists have been arrested in the wake of the coup, while media outlets have shut down and various broadcasting licenses have been revoked for a few TV stations - placing the country under an information blackout.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his Feb 1 power grab by citing electoral fraud in November elections won by Suu Kyi's NLD party.
However the regime's efforts to suppress an evergrowing anti-junta movement have brought only bloodshed, with security forces having killed a lot more than 770 civilians since Feb 1, according to an area monitoring group.
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