Military-ruled Myanmar’s election starting next month will be neither free nor credible, Thailand’s foreign minister said, calling for the release of detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s military ousted the Nobel laureate’s elected government and seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war.
The junta is trumpeting the vote as an opportunity for reconciliation, but neither Aung San Suu Kyi nor her dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD) will take part.
The election will not be held in the swathes of the country not controlled by the military or its allies, and analysts have dismissed it as a ploy to disguise continuing military rule.
“We want it to be free and credible, but it’s not going to be the case,” Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said late Tuesday.
“My feeling is that we won’t be in a position to recognise the elections.”
But he suggested it could be a stepping stone towards reform, saying that general Thein Sein was elected president in an “imperfect” poll in 2010 and went on to release Aung San Suu Kyi, with the NLD winning the next poll.
“Maybe an imperfect election can also be a good opportunity to return the country back to stability and democracy,” he said.
The first phase of voting in Myanmar begins on Dec 28, with a second slated for Jan 11, but subsequent rounds and a result date have not been announced. — AFP
