Myanmar military denies coup threats over vote fraud claims

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s military has denied its chief was threatening to stage a coup over complaints of election fraud, saying the media had misinterpreted his words. Political tension in the Southeast Asian nation soared this past week after a spokesman for the military, which had ruled Myanmar for five decades, said a coup could not be ruled out if its complaints of widespread fraud in November’s election were ignored. The commander-in-chief told senior officers Wednesday that the constitution could be revoked if the laws were not being properly enforced. Adding to the concern was the unusual deployment of armored vehicles in the streets of several large cities. Saturday’s statement says some media organizations wrote without foundation that the military threatened to revoke the constitution.