Myanmar military holds annual armed forces day

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s junta holds its annual Armed Forces Day parade on Wednesday in a show of force as it struggles to contain a growing armed resistance that has captured broad swathes of territory.

The military has suffered a series of major losses to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups, and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing this week admited it may not be possible to hold elections all over the country because of the instability.

Three years ater seizing power in a coup, the junta is now facing an “existential threat,” according to a UN expert, with casualties and defections taking a toll.

Wednesday saw a show of defiance as the military rolls out troops and hardware for the Armed Forces Day parade, commemorating the start of resistance to the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Unlike in years past, the parade was held in the evening because of hot weather, according to a junta spokesman.

Security in Naypyidaw, the junta’s remote, purpose-built capital, was tight with few cars on the roads in the run-up to the event.

On Tuesday night, leader Min Aung Hlaing atended a gala dinner in the capital atended by a number of visiting Russian officers.

Moscow has remained a close ally, providing arms and diplomatic support to the junta.

The February 2021 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government unleashed turmoil that has let thousands dead and shatered Myanmar’s economy.

At last year’s parade, Min Aung Hlaing - flanked by tanks and missile launchers - vowed “decisive action” against the junta’s opponents, but over the past six months, the generals’ grip on power has looked shakier than ever.

Dozens of anti-junta “People’s Defence Forces” (PDFS) have enlisted tens of thousands of young recruits to batle the army across the country.

And in October last year, an alliance of ethnic minority fighters launched a surprise offensive in northern Shan state, capturing territory and taking control of lucrative trade routes to China.