Energy News
DEMOCRACY
Myanmar junta FM briefs neighbours on election plans: Thai FM
Myanmar junta FM briefs neighbours on election plans: Thai FM
by AFP Staff Writers
Bangkok (AFP) Dec 19, 2024

Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister briefed officials from five neighbouring countries on the military's repeatedly delayed plans to hold elections, Thailand's foreign minister said on Thursday.

The Myanmar military seized power in 2021, making unsubstantiated claims of massive electoral fraud in 2020 polls won resoundingly by the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

It has since unleashed a bloody crackdown on dissent and as fighting ravages swathes of the country has repeatedly delayed plans for fresh polls that critics say will be neither free nor fair.

Junta-appointed foreign minister Than Swe met diplomats from China, India, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand for an "informal consultation", Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told reporters.

Myanmar "outlined very broadly that progress is being made towards an election" in 2025, he said, adding that no details, including an exact date, were discussed.

The talks in Bangkok were hosted by Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa and come a day ahead of informal talks on Myanmar hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.

ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, has made little progress towards resolving the Myanmar crisis.

Thailand, which regularly hosts thousands of people fleeing the conflict, has held its own bilateral talks with Myanmar's junta leaders.

In 2023 its then foreign minister also said he had met briefly with Suu Kyi, who has been in military custody since the coup.

The junta has several times pushed back a timetable for fresh polls as it struggles to crush widespread opposition to its rule from ethnic rebel groups and pro-democracy "People's Defence Forces".

In 2022, the junta-stacked election commission announced that Suu Kyi's NLD would be dissolved for failing to re-register under a tough new military-drafted electoral law.

China, the junta's most important ally, has grown increasingly alarmed at the conflict on its doorstep and in October called for a "reconciliation led by all people of Myanmar".

Earlier this year, its foreign minister said Beijing backed the junta's plans for polls.

The United States has said any elections under the junta would be a "sham", while analysts say polls would be targeted by the military's opponents and spark further bloodshed.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
Syria ex-rebel military chief says to dissolve armed wing
Latakia, Syria (AFP) Dec 18, 2024
The military chief of Syria's victorious Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said on Tuesday it would be "the first" to dissolve its armed wing and integrate into the armed forces. "In any state, all military units must be integrated into this institution," Murhaf Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, said in an interview with AFP, adding that "we will be, God willing, among the first to take the initiative (to dissolve our armed wing)". He added that Kurdish-held areas of ... read more

DEMOCRACY
Climate change made Cyclone Chido stronger: scientists

Introducing Wherobots Raster Inference to unleash innovation with Earth imagery

SatVu secures ESA funding for high-resolution thermal imaging project in energy sector

NASA studies crops, forest response to changing rainfall patterns

DEMOCRACY
GPS alternative for drone navigation leverages celestial data

Deciphering city navigation AI advances GNSS error detection

China advances next-generation BeiDou satellite navigation system

Space Systems Command and U.S. Navy achieve major MGUE program milestone

DEMOCRACY
Stora Enso reports impairments of 724 mn euros

Amazon to benefit in Ecuador's second debt-for-nature deal

EU parliament gives final approval to deforestation ban delay

After decades of plantation agriculture, coconut palms dominate over half of Pacific atoll forests

DEMOCRACY
Significant progress in engineering biology for clean energy

Breakthrough in sustainable energy with photochemical water oxidation

IATA chief says sustainable plane fuel supply not enough

From chip shop grease to efficient fuel alternative

DEMOCRACY
Buried interface engineering drives advances in tin-lead perovskite solar cell efficiency

SFU report calls for Canada to prioritize large-scale solar power projects

Training solar panels to adapt to wind conditions

Anger as Amsterdam allows 'ugly' solar panels on historic canal houses

DEMOCRACY
BP to 'significantly reduce' renewables investment

Baltic Sea wind farms impair Sweden's defence, says military

Sweden blocks 13 offshore wind farms over defence concerns

Sweden's defence concerned by planned offshore wind power

DEMOCRACY
Record year for coal in 2024, world's hottest year

Indonesia's new coal phase-out goal sets 'daunting task'

In Bosnia, the path to renewables runs through its coal mines

China expected to hit peak coal consumption in 2025: report

DEMOCRACY
On China's doorstep, Macau weaves an identity as integration looms

Xi to arrive in Macau for 25th anniversary of Chinese rule

China executes former regional official for corruption

Chinese casino hub Macau struggles to evolve beyond gaming

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.