Myanmar’s regime says it is awarding pensions to members of its governing body, the State Administration Council (SAC), and advisers to junta chief Min Aung.
If they complete their term or resign with health issues, they are entitled to a political pension, a one-time payment based on their monthly salary, according to the June 21 issue of the junta gazette.
If they die, their families will receive the gratuity.
The announcement has sparked anger online that those responsible for thousands of civilian deaths are being rewarded with public cash amid an economic meltdown.
On May 25 a Central Advisory Body member, the ethnically Chin U Moung Har, who previously sat on the SAC, died aged 74. It is believed the announcement was issued in response to his death.
The SAC is an 18-member body, including Min Aung Hlaing, and the advisory board has eight members, including former National League for Democracy (NLD) members Khin Maung Swe and Thein Nyunt.
Min Aung Hlaing’s advisory board has seven members, including Yin Yin Nwe, an education adviser to the Thein Sein government and daughter-in-law of former military dictator General Ne Win. Another is Yin Yin Oo, deputy director general at the Foreign Ministry under President Thein Sein. She is the daughter of late president Dr Maung Maung, who ruled for a month following the 1988 uprising. Another member is the ethnically Chin Salai Ngun Cung Lian, who took part in Thein Sein’s peace process.
An adviser to Min Aung Hlaing, former Lieutenant General Nyo Saw, and national security adviser ex-navy chief Moe Aung are also reportedly being granted state-funded pensions.
The regime in August 2022 provided gratuities to 491 lawmakers from the NLD government, which it ousted in the 2021 coup.
