A group that included deposed legislators formed the “Government of National Unity” to oppose the military government.
Myanmar’s military rulers have called a group of ousted lawmakers leading a shadow government “terrorists” and blamed it for bombings, arson and killings, state-controlled media reported on Saturday.
Since the military took power in a February 1 coup, arresting and ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a national uprising has refused to back down in its demands for a return to democracy. .
Bombings have been reported daily and local militias have been formed to clash with the army, while anti-military protests have been held across the Southeast Asian country and strikes by opponents of the coup have paralyzed the economy.
The Government of National Unity (NUG), which operates under cover and which he himself describes as the army as a “terrorist force,” announced this week that it would create a People’s Defense Force to protect his supporters from the violence instigated by the military government.
Myanmar’s state television, MRTV, announced that the NUG, a committee of deposed lawmakers known as the CRPH, and the new force would now be covered by the anti-terrorism law.
“His actions caused so much terrorism in many places,” the ad said.
“There were bombs, fires, assassination and threats to destroy the government’s administrative mechanism,” the announcement said.
Meanwhile, protesters against the coup marched again on Saturday against the military government across the country.
At least 774 civilians have been killed by security forces and 3,778 are in jail, according to the activist group of the Political Prisoners Assistance Association.
The military government disputes those figures and says at least two dozen members of the security forces have died in protests.
Fighting has also erupted on the outskirts of Myanmar with ethnic armies that have been fighting for decades, some of which have gathered behind protesters. State television said the army had advanced against Kachin’s independence army in northern Myanmar, but there was no independent confirmation.
In western Myanmar, the newly formed Chinland Defense Force said it had overrun an army camp. The military did not comment on the report.
The army has defended its seizure of power, alleging fraud in the November elections, which won Aung San Suu Kyi’s party in stages.
Potential goals of journalists
The new designation means that anyone who speaks to groups, including journalists, can be charged in accordance with anti-terrorism laws.
The Arakan army, a rebel group that had clashed with the military in the conflict-ravaged state of Rakhine, maintained the designation last year and arrested a journalist who had interviewed a senior representative.
He faced charges of “terrorism,” with sentences ranging from three years to life in prison.
Although he was released shortly afterwards, the use of the anti-terrorism law against journalists provoked fears of the tension in the country’s press.
Dozens of journalists have been arrested in the wake of the coup, while the media has shut down and revoked several broadcasting licenses for some television channels, placing the country under a blackout.
