Myanmar junta throws huge military parade days after new US sanctions

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.
Myanmar military officers leave the venue during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 27, 2023.
The junta has cracked down on anti-coup protesters, arrested journalists and political prisoners and executed several leading pro-democracy activists, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups.
Military officers march during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 27, 2023.
The US last week slapped a fresh series of sanctions on two people with alleged ties to the military and three businesses owned by them, a statement from the State Department said.
Rights groups and those fighting the Tatmadaw have accused the military of repeatedly using its helicopters and jets to carry out airstrikes that often kill civilians.
Myanmar remains roiled in economic distress, with shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies.
But its military has become largely self-sufficient in manufacturing a range of weapons.
Military officers march during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 27, 2023.
Aung Shine Oo/APAccording to a United Nations report published in January, several UN member states are still selling weapons to the military, despite Western-led sanctions against the junta.
But the increased political and economic isolation has not stopped the military from manufacturing a wide variety of weapons, the report said.
“An equally important factor, however, is the fact that Myanmar’s military can produce a large variety of weapons in-country,” it added.
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