Thousands Killed Homes Burned, Myanmar Rejects Junta Fake Vote

Thousands Killed Homes Burned Myanmar Rejects Junta Fake Vote

Myanmar’s military rulers insist that their long-delayed election will restore stability after years of chaos. On the streets, the response is bitter disbelief.

As the country heads into the second phase of voting on Sunday — nearly five years after the 2021 coup — many citizens say the ballot is nothing more than a theatrical exercise designed to entrench military rule, not end it.

Public criticism of the junta is brutally punished. Even mild dissent can lead to decades behind bars. But in private, anger toward the army and its so-called election is widespread.

“This is a fake election intended to create long-term oppression,” said Aye Aye, a 54-year-old housewife who asked that her name be slightly altered for safety. “Everyone knows Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is power-hungry. He has arrested tens of thousands of innocent people. Thousands have been killed. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. Why, knowing all that, would I vote?”

Her own family has paid a heavy price. Her daughter was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022 for criticising the military online. Her husband lost his job as inflation surged. Her two sons have fled abroad to avoid forced conscription.

“No one in my family is voting,” she said. “Whatever threats the authorities make, I don’t care. I worry not only about my youngest daughter, but about our leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. We love her like our own mother.”

Myanmar’s elected civilian government was overthrown in the 2021 coup. Suu Kyi, now 80, is serving a combined 27-year sentence on charges including corruption and election fraud — accusations she denies and which international observers say are politically motivated.

Voter turnout in the first phase of voting on December 28 was reportedly extremely low, despite coercion and intimidation, according to the United Nations. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy — which won landslide victories in 2015 and 2020 — was dissolved by the junta and barred from participating.

Hope for Suu Kyi’s return is fading. “She never kneels, never bows her head,” said Gyi, a 65-year-old barber. “But she is old now. We fear for her health. There are rumours she has died in prison. We pray they are not true.”

For others, opposition to the vote is rooted in personal tragedy. Moe, a 48-year-old flower seller and widowed mother of five, said the military forced her eldest son into the army last year. Within weeks, he was dead.

“We were too poor to pay a bribe,” she said. “They told me he was fine. Then a defector called and said he had been killed. I received no compensation. Not even an apology.”

On Thursday, the UN’s special rapporteur on Myanmar urged the international community to reject the election outright, calling it “a theatrical performance designed to dupe the world.”

“You cannot have a free or credible election when thousands of political prisoners remain behind bars, opposition parties are dissolved, journalists are silenced and fear governs daily life,” he said.

For many in Myanmar, the conclusion is simple: voting would not be an act of hope — but of surrender.

Key Takeaways

1. A Sham Election Rejected By The Public
   Myanmar’s military-backed election is being widely boycotted, with citizens calling it a staged exercise to legitimise dictatorship after the 2021 coup.

2. Fear, Repression And Personal Tragedy Drive Resistance
   Thousands have been killed, tens of thousands jailed, and families torn apart by conscription, inflation and violence — leaving many unwilling to participate under threat.

3. Global Pressure Mounts As UN Calls Vote A ‘Theatrical Performance’
   The United Nations has urged the international community to reject the results, warning the election lacks credibility while political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, remain behind bars.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT