Myanmar has been plagued by violence since the military seized
power early last year, with clashes on multiple fronts between
junta forces and militias allied with a shadow government and
pro-democracy groups.
The junta's information minister and spokesperson Zaw Min Tin
said "terrorists" were seeking funds to kill innocent people in
their campaign to destabilise the country, so support for them
would be dealt with severely.
He said social media endorsements of the National Unity
Government (NUG) or its armed affiliates, the People's Defence
Forces (PDF), could lead to prison terms of three to 10 years,
and worse for those providing even small amounts of money.
"If you donate money or support terrorists and their acts, you
will face harsher punishments. We're doing this to protect
innocent civilians," he told a televised news briefing, which
included a presentation detailing the penalties for aiding
resistance groups.
Since the coup, opponents of the military have used social media
platforms to try to communicate their message more widely, with
citizen journalists often posting images of protests and alleged
atrocities by the army.
The United Nations has accused the junta of mass killings and
crimes against humanity in its crackdown on opponents since its
coup last year. Thousands have been arrested and many imprisoned
during secret trials.
It recently executed four democracy activists, accusing them of
facilitating attacks by militia groups.
International calls have grown for deeper engagement with NUG
and for it to be included in any peace process in Myanmar, which
the junta refuses to allow, citing the need to restore order.
The U.N. Human Rights office in a report last week called for
the military to be isolated further and said it had failed to
govern the country in a meaningful and sustainable way, or
resolve a "profound financial sector crisis".
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by
Ed Davies)
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