The army chief made the threat as the military staged a show of force on the anniversary of its bloodiest crackdown
Myanmar’s military ruler has vowed to “annihilate” the anti-coup protesters during a speech on Armed Forces Day, as the opponents of last year’s coup pledged to fight on.
The military on Sunday celebrated with a parade of troops and weapons in the capital, Naypyidaw, for the second year since overthrowing the elected government of now-jailed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in his speech, rejected any talks with “terrorist” opposition.
A five-point peace plan by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) calls for talks on all sides, but so far has seen little progress.
“I would like to say Tatmadaw will no longer take into account negotiation with the terrorist group and their supporters for killing innocent people … and will annihilate them into an end,” Min Aung Hlaing said.
The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since the putsch in 2021, with more than 1,700 people killed in crackdowns on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.
The military rulers accuse opposition fighters of killing civilians and security forces in its resistance campaign, while activists say the military has killed hundreds in crackdowns since the coup.
Anti-coup protesters came out on streets in Myanmar on Sunday morning carrying signs saying “uproot the fascist military”.
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