Myanmar accuses insurgents of planning to disrupt 2010 polls

Jan 30, 2010, 7:56 GMT

Yangon - Myanmar authorities on Saturday accused insurgents of plotting to disrupt a general election planned for this year, citing the arrests of 11 suspects caught with explosives and bomb-making equipment.

Myanmar Police Chief Brigadier General Khin Yi said several insurgent groups were engaged in plots to 'jeopardize peace, stability and destroy the coming election.'

The police chief held a rare press conference Saturday at the former Home Ministry building in Yangon to give background on the arrests of 11 suspected insurgents, including Kyaw Zaw Lin.

Khin Yi said the suspects were caught with three homemade mines fitted with detonators, five unfinished homemade mines, 43 detonators, one Spanish-made pistol and 33 rounds of ammunition. He alleged that they had been colluding with anti-government groups based in Thailand, including the Burma Lawyers Council.

'Between December 30 last year and January 5 this year, more than 20 insurgency groups have met in some jungle at Mae Sai, Thailand,' he said, singling out the Karen National Union and All Burmese Students Democratic Front.

'These groups included KNU, ABSDF and others. More than 20 leaders from those groups discussed military and political actions against the government and laid down future plans for destabilizing the country and ruining the election,' Khin Yi said.

Myanmar's ruling junta has announced that it plans to hold a general election some time this year.

The junta has not revealed regulations governing political parties and the election process, leading observers to believe the polls may be delayed until December.

The regime has also run into problems with a dozen ethnic minority militias, who have refused to disband and turn their arms over to authorities before the election.

The last general election, held in 1990, was won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San.

The junta blocked the NLD from assuming power, and has kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years.

The country has been ruled by a military dictatorship since 1962.