Pomp in Russia, white flags at home
The Myanmar military’s participation in last week’s 80th Victory Day parade in Moscow demonstrated that it is on a par with any other armed force around the world, junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun boasted to junta-affiliated media.
The grand parade in Moscow was little more than an empty show of strength by Russia, which remains tangled in a drawn-out war with Ukraine and battered by Western sanctions imposed for its invasion. The parade was meant to show that it still has friends.
But eager to grasp any shred of international relevance, Myanmar’s pariah regime rushed to join the march-by, beaming with pride over the association.
The reality behind the pomp is that Myanmar’s military has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most incompetent – and ruthless – regimes. Since seizing power in 2021, it has killed over 6,200 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, while also managing to lose around 90 towns and two regional military commands to the popular uprising.
Junta soldiers have abandoned their posts on numerous occasions, in what the regime describes as “strategic withdrawals,” fleeing across the border to neighboring countries like Thailand, China, India, and Bangladesh. Many have surrendered outright, raising white flags in a performance no parade could ever redeem.
Seriously depleted by clashes with resistance forces, the regime has resorted to forcible conscription, abducting young men from streets and sending them to the frontline.
Even in Lashio, the capital of northern Shan State and base of its Northeastern Command, the regime only managed to regain control in April – with a generous helping hand from China.
So, while the junta basks in the reflected glow of Russia’s display of bravado, the cold light of reality reveals a stark contrast: a military regime shunned globally and mired in civil war at home.
Death toll in school massacre rises to 24
The death toll at the Depayin Township school targeted by Myanmar junta aircraft on Monday has risen to 24 after two more children died from their injuries.
The civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and witnesses claimed that the regime used widely banned cluster bombs to attack O Htein Twin village school in Sagaing Region.
Although Myanmar is not a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the targeting of a school constituted a war crime and violated international humanitarian law, according to analysts. Read more
Another airstrike on children, another regime denial
Myanmar’s regime has denied that it was responsible for an air attack that killed 20 schoolchildren and two volunteer teachers in Depayin Township, Sagaing Region.
On Monday morning, a fighter jet bombed the O Htein Twin village school, where around 100 children were studying.
Twenty children, including some as young as seven, and two teachers were killed. Many others were injured.
Junta newspapers accused resistance forces of attacking villages that do not support them, while anti-regime media spread false news. Read more
Junta boss finally lands meeting with top ally
Myanmar’s junta chief met China’s president for the first time since seizing power, state media reported Saturday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader.
Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021 overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war.
In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. Read more
