Junta Leader Accuses There Is A State Deliberately Extending Myanmar's Conflict

JAKARTA - Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing accused several countries of wanting the conflict in Myanmar to continue, by arming and supplying food and money to armed resistance groups.

"Several foreign countries want armed conflict and interfere in Myanmar, by providing money, food, medicine, weapons and ammunition, technology, and logistics to armed rebels and terrorist groups from various political circles, helping malicious media to launch psychological warfare," said Min Aung Hlaing as quoted by the Global New Light of Myanmar daily. Between Sputnik-OANA, Tuesday, August 6.

He also said a number of ethnic groups had established weapons, ammunition and explosives production facilities in several Myanmar-China border areas.

"The majority of weapons and ammunition seized by security forces are products of these factories. Building these factories is not an ordinary situation. It needs to exert monetary power and technology. So, it is necessary to analyze the sources of monetary power and technology," he said.

On Sunday (4/8), Myanmar's USDP Party chairman Khin Yi, in an interview with Sputnik, called on Russia to recognize the country's armed conflict as a manifestation of terrorism and join the fight against it.

Armed conflict between Myanmar's central government and a number of armed national minority groups is heating up again in 2021, after the military accused government representatives of cheating in the November 2020 general election.

The junta then used a constitutional mechanism to transfer power to the commander of the armed forces in the event of an emergency that threatens national security and integrity of the country.

On July 31, Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council decided to extend the state of emergency, which was first announced in 2021, over the next six months.