YANGON: Myanmar's junta declared Saturday night that a group of ousted lawmakers running a shadow government would now be classified as "terrorists", as the military moves to tighten its grip over a country in turmoil.
Since the military seized power in a February 1 coup, detaining and ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a nationwide uprising has refused to back down in its demands for a return to democracy.
Protesters continue to take to the streets daily, while a nationwide boycott by students and faculty as well as civil servants across various sectors has brought the country to a shuddering halt. Meanwhile, a group of ousted lawmakers - many of them previously part of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party - have formed a shadow "National Unity Government" to undermine the junta. On Wednesday, the NUG announced the formation of a so-called "people's defence force" to protect civilians facing violence from the military. By Saturday night, state-run television announced that the NUG, its people's defence force, and an affiliated group known as the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) - the Burmese word for parliament - were now classified as "terrorist organisations". "We ask the people not to... support terrorist actions, give aid to terrorist actions that threaten the people's security from the CRPH, NUG, and PDF," said the evening news broadcast.
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