Peace plea between bombings
Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing called for political dialogue to resolve the country’s armed conflicts during his Union Day address on February 12, claiming the door was always open for peace talks.
Nine days later, he slammed that door shut in his address at the Officer Training School (Army) graduation ceremony in Shan State’s Ba Htoo town, declaring his regime would continue fighting the “just war”.
His U-turn was likely triggered by setbacks, including the failure of peace talks with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, attacks by the Kachin Independence Army on Kachin State’s Bhamo, and assaults by the Arakan Army on Rakhine State’s capital of Sittwe and the Danyawaddy naval base in Kyaukphyu, home to a China-backed special economic zone and seaport project.
The regime has been conducting indiscriminate airstrikes on towns controlled by these ethnic forces.
Meanwhile, junta newspapers have been issuing warnings about regime attacks aimed at combating “illegal extraction of the country’s resources” they claim are funding “terrorist organizations.”
The warnings coincided with deadly air raids on gold mines in Mansi and Bhamo in Kachin State, and an oil field in Myaing Township, Magwe Region.
Regardless of whether the door to peace is open or not, the regime has continued its air and artillery strikes against both military and civilian targets. Expect another offer of peace talks to follow soon, as the regime seeks to cover up its atrocities.
Jumbo-sized bad omen
On February 22, as Min Aung Hlaing was busy meeting with the Thai Foreign Minister in the morning and the Russian Economic Development Minister in the afternoon, a white elephant suddenly died in Naypyitaw.
The Ministry of the Office of the Chairman of the State Administration Council announced the elephant had collapsed suddenly while eating and died of natural causes. For superstitious military generals, who see white elephants as nature’s affirmation of their own greatness and power, their deaths are a bad omen.
Military supporters on social media were split over the auspicious animal’s demise – many said it foretold disaster for the junta and suggested rituals to counteract it, while others dismissed it as a natural occurrence.
Thaung Aye, General Secretary of the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party, took to social media to mourn for the elephant, which was discovered under his watch as chief of Western Command in Rakhine.
The female white elephant, named Baddawadi, was transported from Maungdaw to Naypyitaw in 2010 after careful calculations of auspicious times and ritual offerings to deities. She was discovered during the tenure of former military dictator Than Shwe and was ceremoniously welcomed by General Thia Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, then Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council junta and later Vice President. At the time of her death, she was 53 years old.
Another white elephant was discovered a few years later during the tenure of President General Thein Sein, who like other generals was obsessed with the symbolic grandeur of white elephants. Notably, no white elephants were discovered during the civilian administration of the National League for Democracy, which was ousted by Min Aung Hlaing’s coup in 2021.
Myanmar workers on Ukraine front line?
The cash-strapped regime’s latest moneymaking scheme involves sending Myanmar workers to war-torn Russia.
On February 23, visiting Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov discussed labor cooperation with junta ministers in Naypyitaw. The next day, junta Labor Minister Chit Swe, his deputy Win Shein, and company directors held a meeting with labor agencies to consider a regime-to-regime MOU on sending Myanmar workers to Russia.
Though junta media outlets did not specify how many workers would be sent and when, they did report that officials discussed measures to ensure Myanmar workers remit money back home and pay at least 10 percent income tax to the regime.
In late 2023, the junta introduced remittance rules requiring migrant workers to send home at least 25 percent of their salaries monthly or every three months through the country’s banking system, using the official exchange rate of around 3,000 kyats per dollar rather than the market rate of 4,500 kyats.
The regime has threatened to deny visa renewal for overseas workers who fail to remit a quarter of their wages.
Russia’s economy has been crippled by the ongoing war and international sanctions imposed following its invasion of neighboring Ukraine three years ago. Demand for workers remains high in its manufacturing sector while its armed forces are also depleted after three years of war.
Indian workers lured to Russia with job offers have found themselves fighting on the front lines, but the junta seems unconcerned by that risk.
Meanwhile, countless young Myanmar citizens are desperate to escape high unemployment, soaring living costs and mandatory military service. But no one knows if they would be jumping out of Myanmar’s frying pan into Russia’s fire.
ASEAN communication breakdown
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) lavished funds and resources on a three-day workshop aimed at boosting the regime’s public relations skills this week.
The workshop, titled “Mastering Government Communication: Empowering Spokespersons for Effective Public Engagement”, kicked off in Naypyitaw on Wednesday.
Regime media reported it was attended by officials from the junta-appointed Myanmar Press Council; ASEAN representatives from Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, and Indonesia; and the ASEAN Secretary-General’s Office. Representatives from Japan also reportedly joined as observers.
The workshop was organized by the junta’s Ministry of Information with support from the ASEAN Cultural Fund, as part of an ASEAN information subcommittee project.
Trainers covered a range of topics, including public communication, dos and don’ts for government spokesperson, media relations, interviewing, press conferences, and the effective use of social media.
Those wondering whether knowledge shared at the workshop will be put to good use need look no further than junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun for the answer. Tasked with defending junta atrocities at press conferences, he is infamous for unleashing expletive-laden rants that are utterly inappropriate for the head of an information team at state-level briefings.
However, the fundamental issue is that Myanmar’s people long ago lost all trust in anything that comes out of the generals’ mouths, no matter how polished or authoritative their statements may sound.
Leading the world in internet shutdowns
Myanmar has emerged as the global leader in internet shutdowns with 85 deliberate disruptions in 2024, according to a new report.
Myanmar ranks ahead of India’s 84 shutdowns and Pakistan’s 21 in the report by New York-based monitoring and digital advocacy group Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, a campaign launched in 2016 to combat internet shutdowns. Their latest report published Monday highlights…
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Moscow reboots Dawei SEZ project
Russia’s visiting minister for Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, on Sunday signed an agreement to kickstart the stalled Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and port project in Myanmar’s southern Tanintharyi Region.
The memorandum to construct a port, coal-fired thermal power plant, and oil refinery in Dawei was signed by Reshetnikov and Kan Zaw, junta minister for investment and foreign economic relations, …
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Friends again after scam friction
Amid ongoing trilateral meetings between Myanmar, Thailand and China on the repatriation of foreigners involved in scam operations, and their transfer through the Thai-Myanmar border, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa met with junta boss Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw to discuss the cyber scam crackdown.
The junta has previously blamed Thailand for scam operations…
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