Myanmar Junta Revives Warrantless Raids Before Election

[geovalin]

MSRF

 

Myanmar’s military regime has reinstated sweeping powers to conduct warrantless arrests, home raids, and surveillance, in what critics say is a pre-election crackdown designed to crush opposition and tighten control ahead of the junta’s controversial December polls.

 

On Friday, the junta’s newly rebranded governing body, the National Security and Peace Commission (NSPC), suspended key sections of the 2017 Privacy Law—articles that had once guaranteed citizens protection from arbitrary detention and surveillance. The move reintroduces powers scrapped just a week ago with the official end of emergency rule.

 

Authorities may now arrest and detain individuals without a warrant, enter private properties unannounced, and hold suspects beyond 24 hours without court approval. They’re also permitted to monitor private communications and confiscate or destroy personal correspondence.

 

Though framed as a legal measure, observers say the timing and scope of the suspension are telling. “This is not just about law enforcement—it’s a tool to silence dissent and cement control during a staged election,” said Ko Min Naung Khaing, a former judge now aligned with Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement.

 

The military had previously suspended these provisions following the 2021 coup. Their renewal, signed by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in his capacity as acting president, comes despite the official end of emergency rule—highlighting the junta’s determination to rule by decree, regardless of constitutional constraints.

 

Legal experts and opposition figures say the reinstated powers nullify any illusion of democratic process. “These articles were created to protect basic freedoms—now, they’ve been stripped away at the junta’s convenience,” said U Nay Phone Latt of the exiled National Unity Government.

 

Though martial law is officially limited to 63 townships, analysts warn the suspension gives security forces de facto martial law powers across all 267 townships where elections are planned.

 

With more than 30,000 political prisoners and over 7,000 civilians killed since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, many fear the worst. As one observer put it, “The military doesn’t want an election—it wants obedience.”

 

-2025-08-06