Myanmar military pledges to stop future power grab

Myanmar military pledges to stop future power grab

YANGON (Agencies): The Myanmar military government has vowed to develop the country so the nation's armed forces never need to seize power again, official media outlets said yesterday.

Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, the army's chief of staff and Secretary Two in the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), was quoted as making the statement Monday during a meeting with armed forces officers. The meeting was convened to clarify the country's present situation.

"The SPDC government is building good political, economic and social foundations with genuine goodwill in order that the Tatmadaw (the military) will never take over state power in the future," Tin Oo was quoted as saying at the Ministry of Defense.

The SPDC abolished the former ruling body -- the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) -- and took power in a surprise government change last month, reportedly aimed at rooting out corrupt ministers.

The change involved some major reshuffles in the ministries and the ruling military body. Several allegedly corrupt ministers were removed from the cabinet and placed on an Advisory Group, which the SPDC dissolved last week.

Rumors have been sweeping through Yangon that authorities have arrested several members of the group and were questioning them, but the government has denied making any arrests.

Tin Oo, who is also chief of the Bureau of Special Operations, said the SPDC was a military government that planned to transfer state power back to the people.

He did not say when this would occur but stressed the government was laying the groundwork.

"Without these good foundations, the country will never be free from the endless cycle of the situation under which the Tatmadaw will have to take responsibility."

The army seized power in 1988, after crushing a nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

The military government allowed elections in 1990, that were won overwhelmingly by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) -- led by Aung San Suu Kyi -- but the SLORC refused to recognize the result and held on to power.

But in an apparent reference to the recent government changes and the dissolution of the Advisory Group, Tin Oo said the SPDC had to "reconstitute" the government.

"It is necessary for those who are taking the responsibilities of the State to discharge their duties properly in the public interest," he was quoted as saying.

"If ... mistakes cannot be mended, reconstitution like this has to be carried out," he said, referring to the dissolution of the SLORC.

East Asian leaders agreed Monday that Myanmar should attend next year's Asia-Europe summit in Britain despite objections from the European Union (EU), a Japanese foreign ministry official said.

He said the leaders -- from the nine-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with China, Japan and South Korea -- "agreed that ASEAN would go to the ASEM meeting with the current members next year".

ASEM is the acronym for the dialog launched by the Asia-Europe meeting of heads of state and government from the two regions in Bangkok last year.