NDSC meeting: National Defence and Security Council held meeting

The National Defence and Security Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar held the meeting 1/2022 at the Office of the State Administration Council Chairman in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning. 

Present at the meeting were Pro Tem President U Myint Swe, Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw U T Khun Myat, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win, Union Minister for Defence General Mya Tun Oo, Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Soe Htut, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Border Affairs Lt-Gen Tun Tun Naung, specially invited Secretary of the State Administration Council Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dwe and Joint-Secretary LtGen Ye Win Oo. Vice-President U Henry Van Thio asked for a leave of absence from the meeting. 

The Member of the Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services asked for extending the declared period of the State of Emergency with reasons. With regard to the State responsibilities taken by the Tatmadaw related to the political situation on one-year responsibilities of the State Administration Council, the Senior General said that the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services expressed the wish to be a free and fair election related to the 2020 election for 24 times at the State level ceremonies, meeting with political parties, diplomats and international representatives and media as well as military families.

At the election held on 8 November 2020, 10,482,116 voting frauds (more than onefourth of the voters) were found in the scrutiny of the Tatmadaw, worsening the multiparty democracy. So, the Tatmadaw and political parties requested the UEC, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the government to address the voting frauds under the law.

Without daring to address the voting frauds, the attempts to convene the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on 1 February 2021 were designed to forcefully seize the State responsibilities under Section 417 of the Constitution. Consequently, these may cause unprecedented difficulties on the path of democracy of the State.

So, the State of Emergency was declared and the State responsibilities were taken in accord with Sections 417, 418 and 419 of the Constitution. Multiparty democracy general election is the foundation of Myanmar’s democracy and political system as heads and participants of the legislative, executive and judicial estates were elected through the election in direct and indirect manners.

After taking the State responsibilities, the Senior General explained addressing the current political situations, forming the National Unity and Peace Restoration Coordination Committee, the Work Committee and the Coordination Committee, meetings with NCA signatory ethnic armed organizations, non-NCA signatory EAOs, political parties and religious leaders and peace negotiators, a joint declaration between Myanmar and Cambodia released after holding a meeting with the Cambodian Prime Minister in early 2022 with a plan to extend the ceasefire till the end of this year. The Senior General then explained the tasks to be prioritized.

In the security sector before the Tatmadaw took the State responsibility, generally, engagements happened in EAO areas as usual but clashes with AA armed groups in Rakhine State were very violent. The matters related to changing of peaceful demonstration to the armed insurrection after the Tatmadaw has taken the State responsibilities, imposing martial law in some townships of some regions and states, committing terror acts and arresting terrorists, manipulations in the economic sector of the country including banking sector and trade sector, direct and indirect sanctions, destruction of religion and language before the Tatmadaw has taken State responsibilities, the Pankhinn project is being implemented to issue the CSC to the people, the electoral system, vaccination programs given to the people to fight against the COVID-19 and so on.