The demonstrations, which were organised by MWVA members
and Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar’s major cities, come amid growing calls
from abroad for members of Myanmar’s military, including Min Aung Hlaing, to be
prosecuted at the International Criminal Court.
The speech will fuel widespread suspicions that the
military itself orchestrated the rallies.
Protestors shouted slogans and waved placards condemning
the United Nations, whose investigators have accused the military of mass
murder, rape and forced deportation amounting to genocide during last year’s
crackdown, which sent over 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh.
Min Aung Hlaing on Wednesday told a major gathering of
top officials from the MWVA, which is closely affiliated with the Tatmadaw,
that foreign nations and organizations were interfering in Myanmar’s internal
affairs and disrespecting the country’s sovereignty.
He praised “patriotic members of the public” for holding
rallies to show their support for military.
“Such good tradition should be maintained,” he added.
“Rallying for public support is not just a thing to be done in times of
emergency,” he said, according to a transcript published on his website.
The rallies met with a mixed reaction inside the country,
where resentments against both the Rohingya and the military remain strong.
Myo Nyunt, spokesperson for the National League for
Democracy, said that pro-military protests could fuel divisions between the
military and the government because the military has become “a part of the
government” since 2010.
“I think it would be more appropriate to have rallies
just supporting the government,” he said.
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