Burmese Junta Extends State of Emergency on First Anniversary of Military Coup
Democracy Now
The Facts
Tuesday marked one year since the military unseated the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a second term after a landslide victory in Nov. 2020.
The ruling junta justified the coup by claiming widespread election fraud, a claim that's been roundly dimissed by independent election observors.
The Spin
Narrative A
Aung San Suu Kyi stands accused of election interference and fraud, among other charges. The junta has restaffed the country's election commissions and renewed promises to hold new elections that will eliminate widespread fraud and restore trust in the democratic process.
Narrative B
The military coup removed a fairly elected government on the thinnest of pretenses. Meanwhile, Myanmar's trading partners, including China and India, are turning a blind eye to mass incarceration and violence against legitimate democratic protesters in order to safeguard supplies of oil and gas.