Myanmar marks Armed Forces Day as US increases sanctions

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military council, inspects a parade, marking Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 27, 2023. - Copyright Aung Shine Oo/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.

By Euronews with AP

Published on 27/03/2023 - 10:02•Updated 10:03

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Myanmar displays power during Armed Forces Day as the US increases sanctions targetting aviation fuel suppliers.

Myanmar’s ruling military paraded an arsenal of weapons in the capital Naypyidaw on Monday, in a grand display of force days after the United States imposed fresh sanctions against the junta for inflicting “pain and suffering on the people of Burma.”

The array of equipment – ranging from rocket launchers to tanks – was deployed alongside hundreds of marching troops to mark the country’s annual Armed Forces Day.

Myanmar’s military has ruled the impoverished Southeast Asian nation with an iron fist for most of the past six decades, apart from a brief 10-year flirtation with a quasi-democracy that came crashing down in 2021 when the generals seized power once more.

Monday's commemoration recognises the start of local resistance to the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Last week, the US announced new sanctions against Myanmar, targeting aviation fuel suppliers of the military junta. Critics say the army has repeatedly carried out human rights abuses since seizing power from the elected government in 2021.

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