Greenwash to Muffle Chainsaws
Desperate for a PR win after overseeing the killing of more than 6,000 civilians since leading the 2021 coup, Min Aung Hlaing has turned to planting trees in his latest futile attempt to legitimise brutal military rule.
At a June 6 tree-planting ceremony held by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army, Navy, Air), the junta boss declared environmental conservation had been a national priority ever since the military takeover.
According to Global Forest Watch, which monitors international deforestation via satellites, Myanmar lost around 2 million acres of forest between 2002 and 2024 – 710,000 acres in 2024 alone.
But no worries: the military had planted more than 200,000 trees since he was appointed commander-in-chief in 2011, the junta boss boasted.
The generals conduct an annual orgy of greenwashing every monsoon season, with tree-planting ceremonies, photo ops and speeches extolling love of the nation and its natural resources. Behind the scenes, they have been busy partnering with business interests to strip the country’s forests bare. Logging, both official and illegal, has flourished under their watch as they seize on the country’s natural wealth while ignoring sensible economic policies.
Myanmar’s people are bearing the brunt, hit by worsening floods, landslides and record high temperatures.
The now-ousted civilian government had introduced policies to curb deforestation, but these democratic efforts were swept away by a military leadership long eager to get its hands on Myanmar’s “green gold”.
Since the coup, junta officials and armed groups have exploited the chaos of war to ramp up illegal logging, accelerating deforestation across the country.
So when Min Aung Hlaing says environmental conservation is a top concern, it’s nothing more than greenwash to disguise his regime’s plunder.
Steel Dream Still on Hold
With Russian experts already in southern Shan State to restart the Moscow-backed Pinpet steel mill, Chief Engineer Aleksandr Senin of Russia’s Tyazhpromexport Co. Ltd. (TPE) met with junta Industry Minister Charlie Than in Naypyitaw on Monday to discuss accelerating the project.
The steel mill is a joint venture between the military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Tyazhpromexport, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned Rostec, which also supplies arms to the junta.
Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly urged a swift return to production since the project was resumed after his 2021 coup, citing the high cost of steel imports. The junta boss noted that the country spent US$995 million on iron and steel imports in fiscal 2020-21 alone. Analysts say the junta is desperate to revive Pinpet to supply steel for its military operations nationwide.
Russia has been a major arms supplier to the military regime since the coup, with collaboration extending beyond weapons to nuclear technology, security and diplomacy.
Located in war-torn Shan State, the Russian-backed project has transformed Mount Pinpet, aka Pine Tree Mountain, into the country’s largest iron mine.
It launched in 2004 with the aim of producing 200,000 tonnes of pig iron and 720,000 tonnes of iron ore. However, the project was halted in March 2017 under the now-ousted National League for Democracy government due to financial concerns.
Local community groups, including the Pa-O Youth Organization, have complained loudly about the project’s environmental impact, saying it will mainly serve the junta’s economic and military interests. Despite the regime’s efforts over the past four years, steel production remains on hold as of June 2025.
Red Alert as AA Within 5km of China-Backed SEZ
The ethnic Arakan Army (AA) has advanced to within 5 kilometers of Kyaukphyu, a Chinese investment hub and one of only three towns in Rakhine State still under Myanmar junta control.
AA forces have seized key junta positions along the routes linking Kyaukphyu to the Danyawaddy naval base and Made Island, home to a Chinese-backed deep-sea port and petroleum pipelines. The ethnic army is now targeting junta outposts near Police Battalion No. 32, located just under 5 km from Kyaukphyu, according to a source close to the AA.
On Monday, the regime deployed jet fighters, Y-12 aircraft, and drones in aerial assaults on AA units near the police battalion, according to local residents. Warships from the Danyawaddy naval base have also been shelling the area since early June.
Thanking ‘Big Brother’ for Protection
Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who has survived international sanctions and internal armed conflict due to China’s support, expressed his gratitude for Beijing’s help in comments to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar-China diplomatic relations on Sunday.
As a result of Operation 1027, an anti-junta military offensive launched in 2023 and 2024, the regime has lost control of nearly 90 towns to resistance forces and their allied ethnic armed groups, including two major military commands in northern Shan and Rakhine.
In response to the regime’s setbacks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China would support Myanmar’s “internal stability”, assist with the junta’s elections, and oppose foreign interference in Myanmar’s affairs, publicly demonstrating China’s alignment with the junta.
Bold Poll Promise Rings Hollow
Myanmar junta’s election body says voting will be held in 267 townships, assuming security can be guaranteed, in December or January.
However, it may vary depending on the security situation at the time the election dates are announced, it said.
The civilian National Unity Government said around 144 out of the country’s 330 townships are under the control of anti-regime groups and 79 townships are experiencing ongoing conflict.
Myanmar’s junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has promised voting in December or January with no confirmed date.
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