A man and his son feed white elephants near Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw on March 26, 2024. Myanmar's junta prepared to put on a show of force at the annual Armed Forces Day parade as it struggles to contain escalating violence against its rule. (Photo by AFP)
The country’s junta held its annual Armed Forces Day parade 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 admitted it may not be possible to hold elections all over the country because of the instability.
Three years after 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.
Yesterday saw a show of defiance as the military rolled out troops and hardware for the 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 from 5.15pm local time because of hot weather, according to a junta spokesman.
Security in Naypyidaw, the junta’s remote, purpose-built capital, was tight with only a few cars on the roads in the run-up to the event.
On Tuesday night, leader Hlaing attended a gala dinner in the capital attended by a number of visiting Russian officers.
Moscow has remained a close ally, providing arms and diplomatic support to the junta. — AFP
