Forming Its Own Police, Myanmar's Shadow Government: Take Action Against Military Council

Illustration of Aung San Suu Kyi. (Wikimedia Commons/Obamoe)

JAKARTA - The parallel government opposing military rule in Myanmar announced on Tuesday it would form its own police force, in the latest attempt to stymie the military regime's attempts to rule after last year's coup.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, ending a decade of tentative democracy and sparking national opposition by groups determined to force generals to give up power.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's military regime has labeled its opponents as 'terrorists', including the shadowy National Unity Government (NUG), an alliance of anti-junta groups whose many members are in hiding or in exile.

The NUG said it was ready to be responsible for domestic law enforcement, with police powers accepted by the people.

Its aim is "to take lawful action against the terrorist military council for committing human rights violations, war crimes, and acts of terrorism against the people," the NUG said in a statement, citing Reuters, June 7.

It was not immediately clear how and when the NUG would establish and operate the police force, as well as how many personnel it would recruit. Spokesmen for the NUG and the ruling military council could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment.

The NUG has since last year led a campaign to raise funds and stymie the military's efforts to consolidate power, ranging from a boycott of taxes and the issuance of foreign bonds to the sale of a clone of the home of the military regime's leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Last year, the NUG also called on the public to rise up against the military in a 'people's defensive war', announcing the formation of the People's Defense Force, which has been fighting troops in the countryside.

About 700.000 people have been displaced by fighting and instability in Myanmar since the coup on February 1, according to the United Nations.