Call The Myanmar Crisis Controllable, Military Rezim Leader Promises To Hold An Election As Soon As Possible: Without Outer Pressure

Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. (Wikimedia Commons/Vadim Savitsky)

JAKARTA - The crisis in Myanmar is under control and the ruling military will mobilize all its might, to hold a general election next year as planned, as long as it is free from foreign interference, the military regime leader said.

Speaking to Russia's RIA news agency in an interview published on Wednesday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said it was too early to discuss the postponement of elections, which is scheduled for August next year, while the junta still has plenty of time to restore order.

"We promise to hold elections in the near future, trying our best to fulfill this," Min Aung Hlaing said.

"In addition, elections must be held without pressure from outside. Otherwise, it will not be fair and transparent. And we will carry out our own selection without pressure from outside," he stressed.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since Min Aung Hlaing led the coup in February 2021, against Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, arresting leaders, detaining thousands of activists and protesters.

Mass arrests, killings and accusations of systematic brutality by security forces, have sparked an armed resistance movement that has struggled to be eradicated by the junta.

The United Nations accuses the military of mass killings and crimes against humanity, a charge it calls interference.

"The situation is under control. Last year there were many more incidents, bigger. Since April this year, the number and scale have decreased, although gradual, but significant," said the senior general.

Min Aung Hlaing is in Russia for a summit of the economy, saying Myanmar is in the process of buying oil from Russia and paying in rubles, due to difficulties using other currencies.

He said his country and Russia both wanted peace and stability, saying Western countries were funding and arming Myanmar's 'terrorists', which he stressed did not get a place.