Myanmar junta chief vows no talks with opposition "terrorists"
Myanmar's junta chief on Sunday (March 27) said the military will not negotiate with "terrorist" opposition forces, vowing to annihilate them during a speech on Armed Forces Day, as opponents of last year's coup vowed they will also fight on.
The military, known as the Tatmadaw, celebrated with a parade of troops and weapons in the capital, Naypyitaw, for the second year since overthrowing the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in his speech rejected any talks with "terrorists". A five-point peace plan by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations calls for talks on all sides, but so far has seen little progress.
The junta accuses opposition armed forces of killing civilians and security forces in its resistance campaign, while activists say the military has killed hundreds in crackdowns since the coup. Myanmar has been plagued by violence since the military seized power, upending a decade of tentative democratic and economic reforms.
More than 1,700 people have been killed and almost 13,000 arrested, according to the rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).nti-coup protesters came out on streets in Myanmar on Sunday morning opposing the coup carrying signs saying "uproot the fascist military."