Myanmar's junta leader attends military conference in Moscow

The leader of Myanmar’s military junta has attended an international conference in Moscow, an appearance that reflects Russia’s eagerness to develop ties with the junta despite international criticism

MOSCOW -- The leader of Myanmar's military junta on Wednesday attended an international conference in Moscow, an appearance that reflected Russia's eagerness to develop ties with the junta despite international criticism. The military in Myanmar ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, claiming her party’s landslide victory in an election last November was due to massive voter fraud. It has not produced credible evidence to back its claim. Myanmar's security forces have brutally suppressed widespread popular protests against the military takeover, killing hundreds of protesters and carrying out waves of arrests. The junta's leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, claimed in Wednesday's speech at the conference organized by Russia's Defense Ministry that it was trying to consolidate a democratic system in the country that has “degraded.”