The results of Burma’s first elections in 20 years are coming in, and you may be shocked to hear that the military dictatorship is winning. As there were crazy amounts of cheating before the elections, so it was during yesterday’s polls as well, from ballot stuffing to straight-up forcing people to vote the right way. Obama has already called BS on the results. There are wide reports that Burmese citizens are also, as they’ve been since the announcement of the process, unhappy with it, but so far, there haven’t been any protests.
But there has been the breakout of a great big fight between two ethnic militias and government soldiers on the Thailand-Burma border. Thousands of Burmese have fled to Thailand to escape the violence, which apparently erupted over the militias’ dissatisfaction with the junta’s plan to force ethnic soldiers into the Burma army in the new “democracy.” The militias have captured several government buildings and government soldiers in the city of Myawaddy, and at least 30 people have been killed. Civilians are hoping that more ethnic militias don’t join the fray and further broaden the conflict.
