UK, Canada, Taiwan criticise Myanmar as generals unleash ‘corrective purge’

TAIPEI (Taiwan), Sept 29 (Al Jazeera): The United Kingdom (UK) and Canada have joined the United States in condemning plans by Myanmar's coup leaders to hold tightly controlled elections, as Taiwan voiced strong criticism of the regime's atrocities and crackdown on its opponents.
Their condemnation is an indication of the hardening divisions between China and Russia on one side, and Western nations and their allies on the other, as well as self-ruled Taiwan's willingness to champion democratic causes on the global stage.
"We'll continue to watch very carefully [the regime's planned election] and continue to advocate for human rights protection and democracy in Myanmar," Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told Al Jazeera in an interview on Thursday.
Myanmar's generals, who seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) in February 2021, have promised to hold new polls and unveiled revised election laws earlier this year that led to the NLD's dissolution. However, the military has not given a date for the polls, as it battles sustained opposition to its power grab.
"Every time there's a serious violation of human rights, eg, when civilian leaders or democracy advocates etc suffer from the persecution of the military junta, MOFA [the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] does not stay quiet. We always issue statements to condemn the military junta for violating human rights," Wu said, calling on the regime to restore democracy in the country. Taiwan has condemned the regime's execution of political prisoners and the dissolution of the NLD.
Russia, meanwhile, has emerged as a key supporter and armourer of the Myanmar generals with coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visiting Moscow, and Russian officials pictured frequently in Myanmar.