Myanmar president warns of Arab Spring-style violence

A video posted on the Facebook page of Myanmar's president, raising the spectre of bloodshed and chaos akin to the Arab Spring aftermath if it loses power in Sunday's polls, has drawn an angry response on social media.

The tightly edited four-minute feature was posted on the page of President Thein Sein, days before the country heads to the polls in landmark elections which are expected to see the opposition make major gains.

The video juxtaposes scenes of recent violence in the Middle East with shots of seeming tranquility and development in Myanmar during its transition towards democracy, backed by a heavy metal soundtrack.

It ends with the words: "Only when peace prevails will democratisation be implemented."

"It was about the transformation of Myanmar into a democratic country," Zaw Htay, director of the president's office, told AFP.

Thein Sein, a former general, and the ruling army-backed USDP party have positioned themselves as the guarantors of Myanmar's stable progress as it shakes off decades of junta rule.

Unlike countries that suffered "blood streams, explosions, violent protests", Myanmar has remained stable, Zaw Htay said, since the army handed power to a quasi-civilian reformist government in 2011.