Myanmar’s Junta promise to hold polls, try to justify coup

Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on the occasion of Armed Forces Day on Saturday made an attempt to justify coup and said the demands made are "inappropriate" even as protesters called for a huge show of defiance despite warnings they risked being shot.He also said that the military will protect the people and strive for democracy. In speech at a parade ground at the capital Naypyitaw, Gen Hlaing said that violent acts that affects stability and security in order to make demands are inappropriate. General Hlaing also reiterated a promise to hold election but he did not gave any date for it. "The army seeks to join hands with the entire nation to safeguard democracy," the general said in a live broadcast on state television. People across Myanmar marked the public holiday by again demonstrating against the February 1 coup. In several places, security forces sought to disperse them forcefully, as has become standard practice. On Friday, Myanmar military troops killed four more people in demonstrations, taking the number of deaths to 328 in the crackdown that has followed the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government on February 1. A broadcast on the state television on Friday evening said: "You should learn from the tragedy of earlier ugly deaths that you can be in danger of getting shot to the head and back". It also stated that the military was determined to prevent any disruptions around Armed Forces Day, which commemorates the start of the military's resistance to Japanese occupation in 1945. Gen Hlaing said the army had to seize power because of "unlawful acts" by Suu Kyi and her National League for democracy, adding that some party leaders had been found guilty of corruption and legal action was being taken against them. The Russia's deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin attended the parade. On Friday, he met senior junta leaders and offered support for the military. "Russia in a true friend," Gen Hlaing said. There were no signs of other diplomats at an event that is usually attended by scores of officials from other nations. Defence ties between Russia and Myanmar have grown in recent years with Moscow providing training to thousands of soldiers as well as selling arms to the military. At least 328 protesters have been killed in the weeks of unrest as of now, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.