Myanmar's junta gov't again extends state of emergency

July 31 (UPI) -- Myanmar's junta-controlled government extended its years-long state of emergency another six months on Monday, according to state-run media, seemingly in violation of the country's constitution.

Myanmar has been ruled by the junta under a state of emergency since it overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on widely discredited claims of voter fraud on Feb. 1, 2021.

Under the military-drafted constitution of 2008, following an initial one-year state of emergency, only two consecutive extensions are permitted before elections must be held. The extension announced Monday by the governing National Defense and Security Council is its fourth extension and appears to be a second constitutional violation committed by the ruling government.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Vice-Senior Gen. Soe Win justified the six-month extension and a further delay of elections on the need for time "for minimizing terror acts" and to put forth efforts to "restore perpetual peace across the nation," as well as to prepare voter lists and other such election requirements.

The six-month extension began Tuesday when state-run The Global New Light of Myanmar published notice of the decision that was made Monday morning by the junta power during a meeting in the Naypyitaw capital.

Since the junta takeover, the country has been subsumed by civil disobedience and nationwide protests against the military rule, which the junta has met with a bloody crackdown that has attracted further condemnation of the military by the international community.

In justifying the extension, military leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing told the council that since taking hold of the country, 772 people have been killed in fighting. Authorities have also seized nearly 20,000 firearms and more than 1.4 million rounds of ammunition, he said, according to The Global New Light of Myanmar.

The monitoring and advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has tallied 3,857 civilians killed by the junta and more than 24,123 arrested.

The United States on Monday said it was "deeply concerned" by the extension of the state of emergency, which comes "as the regime plunges the country deeper into violence and instability."

"Since overthrowing a democratically elected government two and a half years ago, the military regime has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, burned down tens of thousands of homes and displaced more than 1.6 million people," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"The United States will continue to work with our partners and allies to apply political and economic tools to hold the regime accountable."