Nov 9 (Reuters) – President Myint Swe said Myanmar’s integrity was under threat due to ineffective handling of recent violence in border regions with China.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta faces the biggest threat to its authority since seizing power in a 2021 coup, with a surge in attacks by pro-democracy activists and ethnic minorities against its bases in the north, northeast, northwest and southeast of the country.
“If the government does not effectively manage the incidents occurring in the border region, the country will be divided into several parts,” Myint Swe, President of Burma, said during a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council .
“It is necessary to carefully monitor this issue. As this is an important moment for the state, the entire people must support the Tatmadaw (the Burmese army, Editor’s note),” he added.
The army has claimed for decades to be the only institution capable of maintaining the unity of this former multi-ethnic British colony, using this argument to justify its hold on power and to crush the opposition.
Myanmar has been gripped by unrest since the 2021 coup, which saw generals oust an elected government and its democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending a decade of attempted reform.
The junta has lost control of some trading towns on the border with China in recent days to an alliance of rebel factions.
There are also widespread reports of clashes between the army and opposition fighters in other parts of the country. Reuters was unable to verify this information.
China confirmed this week that it had seen casualties among its citizens following gunfire from fighting in Burma that reverberated across the Chinese side of the border.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged its nationals to stay away from areas of “violent conflict” and to avoid traveling to Burma. (Reporting by Reuters; with contributions by Bernard Orr in Beijing; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; French version Dagmarah Mackos, editing by Kate Entringer)
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