Burma’s top
military boss says the Tatmadaw (armed forces) have a duty to play a political
role and to guard the junta-drafted Constitution, in remarks during the 67th
Armed Forces Day parade on Tuesday in Naypyitaw.
General Min Aung Hlaing said the government-appointed, unelected
military representatives sitting as Members of Parliament are acting “in the
national interest” and “just performing a national political duty.”
He said the Tatmadaw plays a leading role in the national politics of
the country while speaking to about 13,000 troops on the day that marks the
uprising of Burmese soldiers against the Japanese in 1945 towards the end of
World War II.
“Our Tatmadaw has to respect and obey as well as preserve the state
Constitution, which is the same as our country's life, together with all
nationals,” Min Aung Hlaing said. “Our Tatmadaw will protect and maintain the
Constitution as its main duty while building a new modern and developed
democratic nation.”
Min Aung Hlaing became the acting joint chief of staff of the army,
navy, and air force in June 2010 and is now the General Commander-in-Chief of
Burmese Armed Forces. At 54 years old, he is considered to be among a new breed
of military officer. He has a reputation as a brave fighter with a scholarly
bent, and a no-nonsense straight talker.
Unlike past Armed Forces Day parades, it was a low-key ceremony with
about 400 officials and guests. President Thein Sein, a former general, did not
attend.
The Burmese army has always been by far the largest service and has
always received the lion's share of the defence budget. It has played the most
prominent part in Burma's war against the 40 or more insurgent groups since
1948 and acquired a reputation as a tough and resourceful military force,
according to military analysts.
In 1981, it was described as “probably the best [army] in Southeast
Asia, apart from Vietnam's.” The judgment was echoed in 1983, when another
observer noted that "Myanmar's infantry is generally rated as one of the
toughest, most combat seasoned in Southeast Asia.”
An 83-page report released this month by Human Rights Watch, “‘Untold
Miseries’: Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Burma’s Kachin State,”
describes how the Burmese army has attacked Kachin villages, razed homes,
pillaged properties, and forced the displacement of tens of thousands of
people.
Soldiers have threatened and tortured civilians during interrogations
and raped women. The army has also used antipersonnel mines and conscripted
forced laborers, including children as young as 14, on the front lines,
according to the report.
Mizzima News
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment