RUSSIA OPPOSES SANCTIONS
Punitive measures against Myanmar junta may spark civil war, warns Moscow
RUSSIA yesterday said it opposed sanctions against the Myanmar junta, warning that punitive measures could spark a largescale civil war in the country.
“A course towards threats and pressure, including the use of sanctions against the current Myanmar authorities, has no future and is extremely dangerous,” news agency Interfax quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.
Such policies would “push the Burmese towards a full-blown civil conflict”.
Myanmar had been in turmoil since a Feb 1 coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and derailed
the country’s experiment with democracy.
Russia had sought to develop ties with the military junta and Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin joined last month’s annual parade showcasing Myanmar’s military prowess.
As the regime held the parade
for Armed Forces Day, more than a hundred people were killed.
At the parade, Russia showcased its equipment including T72 tanks, MiG-29 jet fighters and Mi-24 helicopters.
In Yangon, people smeared red paint and handprints on bus stops and pavements in protest at the military's violence.
The so-called “bleeding dye strike” is the latest creative method thought up by protesters to voice opposition without risking being shot or arrested by demonstrating in person.
One slogan painted on a bus stop said the military was being misused to protect junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, and urged soldiers not to shoot civilians.
An online fundraising push by a group of ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy is nearing US$10 million.
The Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw — the Burmese word for Parliament — said the money would be used to “uproot the military dictatorship” and restore democracy.
More than 2,700 people had been arrested since the coup, according to local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which said at least 570 people had been confirmed killed, including 47 children.