Myanmar: Military junta extends state of emergency

The military government in Myanmar extended the state of emergency in the country by six months, said state media in Myanmar. The junta chief has said that elections can only take place when situation in the country "was stable and peaceful".

Myanmar's military, led by Min Ayng Hlaing, toppled civillian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi last year.

According to a report in Global New Light of Myanmar, Hlaing requested the military government to "allow him to serve for an additional 6 months"

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Members of the junta's National Defence and Security Council "unanimously supported the proposal", it said.

The military government has previously said that elections would be held and the state of emergency lifted by August 2023 -- extending the initial one-year timeline it announced days after the coup.

To justify its coup, the military alleges massive fraud during 2020 elections. The elections were won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

Last year, it cancelled the results of the polls, saying it had uncovered more than 11 million instances of voter fraud.

International observers said the voting was largely free and fair.

Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and faces an eclectic raft of charges that could see her jailed for more than 150 years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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