Shot fired across bloc’s bows
Regional pariah Min Aung Hlaing’s message to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on its 57th anniversary was loud and clear: Do not intervene in Myanmar’s issues.
The junta boss declared on Thursday that all members should “cooperate constructively” regarding the domestic affairs of any member country.
His call for cooperation strained belief, coming after three years during which the military dictator has ignored the five-point consensus he agreed upon with leaders of the other nine member states.
Though most ASEAN members have shunned the regime, Thailand has offered to assist the junta with its controversial planned census and national election, despite the plan being widely dismissed as a sham to extend the military’s control over the country.
Earlier this month, Min Aung Hlaing dispatched minister Ko Ko Hlaing as his special envoy to Cambodia to discuss trade and economic cooperation plus plans to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic ties next year.
The junta is desperate for support from individual members after being banned from ASEAN meetings for ignoring the five-point plan’s call to end violence and launch peace talks.
Derailed by news from northern Shan
Min Aung Hlaing was busy dreaming of electric trains on August 3 when his reverie was shattered by news that his regime had ceded its North Eastern Command based in Lashio, northern Shan State.
The junta boss should have been at the war office last Saturday as one of his military hubs came under fierce attack from anti-regime groups. Instead, he was visiting a locomotive factory in Naypyitaw, instructing officials of Myanma Railways to upgrade tracks for electric trains.
Introducing electric trains has been an obsession for Min Aung Hlaing since he seized power in 2021. However, the scheme has become a public laughingstock in a country plagued by power cuts.
Even staunch junta supporters have criticized the dictator for prioritizing electric trains while Myanmar’s military suffers a string of heavy military defeats in northern Shan State.
Nor were they impressed when, just days before the fall of North Eastern Command, he directed ministers at the July 29 cabinet meeting to focus on October’s traditional performing arts competition and December’s national sports tournament.
Finally, on Tuesday, unable to ignore the disaster of losing a military command for the first time in Myanmar’s history, he delivered a televised speech to the nation. Glossing over the unprecedented loss, he blamed the National League for Democracy, ethnic armed organizations, anti-regime groups including the People’s Defense Force, and foreign countries for the country’s crisis.
Conscription clampdown at airports
The regime has toughened checks on young people attempting to leave Myanmar by flight to prevent them from evading mandatory conscription, blocking scores of job seekers and tourists. Read more
Coup-maker shifts blame for Lashio debacle
In a 25-minute address after the fall of the North Eastern Command, Min Aung Hlaing pointed the finger at the NLD, ethnic armed groups and, implicitly, China, for the country’s woes. Read more
Beleaguered regime seeks Russian lifeline
Speaking to Russian media, the head of the junta’s proxy military party begged for Moscow’s direct help. Critics say the request violates the military’s own constitution. Read more
Admits top generals captured at NE Command
The base’s top three officers have been seen in captivity in photos online, though the MNDAA has not offered details about them since seizing the regional HQ on Saturday. Read more
