Min Aung Hlaing Visits Thailand, Seeking Political Legitimacy
Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-backed government, arrived in Thailand for an official visit to reassure the Thai Prime Minister that his government was restoring stability; the two leaders also announced their readiness to begin a new chapter of economic cooperation (AP).
Thai Prime Minister Calls for Re-Engagement With Myanmar
Ahead of Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Thailand, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delivered a speech at ASEAN’s headquarters, calling for a “calibrated re-engagement” with Myanmar (Reuters).
International Red Cross Visits Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar’s detained former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, met with a representative of the International Red Cross in Naypyidaw (Reuters).
Suu Kyi’s health condition has been difficult to determine as she has not met with any foreign leader or envoy since being ousted and placed in detention in February 2021 (NYT).
Min Aung Hlaing Criticizes ASEAN Peace Plan for Myanmar
Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-backed government, criticized ASEAN’s peace plan for Myanmar in a speech to parliament marking his hundredth day as president after a discredited election, and outlined his government’s own plans to restore peace and stability (AP).
Myanmar’s Military Escalates Attacks on Civilians, ACLED Finds
Myanmar’s military has sharply increased its repression of and aerial bombing campaign against civilians since the ruling junta reconfigured its military command structure in March, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported (Reuters).
ASEAN Envoy Says Myanmar’s Return to Bloc Meetings “Far Off”
Myanmar’s participation in ASEAN meetings is “still far off,” the Philippines’ foreign minister said, as its compliance with ASEAN’s peace initiative is still being assessed (Reuters).
ASEAN Holds First In-Person Talks With Myanmar in Five Years
ASEAN’s special envoy on Myanmar held separate talks with the country’s military-backed negotiators and some rebel groups, marking the first in-person talks between ASEAN and the Myanmar junta since the February 2021 coup (Bangkok Post).
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said that all sides recognized there is no military solution to the war and offered to serve as a facilitator for future peace talks (Reuters).
Xi Jinping Urges Junta to Advance Infrastructure Project
On a state visit to Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to proceed with a strategic infrastructure project to connect southern China to the Indian Ocean via Myanmar’s western coast; Xi said the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (FT)
China Detains U.S. Analyst of Myanmar on Espionage Charges
China confirmed the arrest of Min Zin, a U.S. citizen and executive director of the think tank ISP-Myanmar, who was detained in Kunming on suspicion of espionage and endangering Chinese national security (Reuters)
Junta Leader Visits India
India said it will continue engaging with Myanmar after Min Aung Hlaing, the country’s junta leader, visited New Delhi for the first time since being sworn in as president in April (AP)
Accidental Explosion Kills At Least Fifty-Five
At least fifty-five people were reportedly killed in a blast in Myanmar’s Kaungtup village, which a rebel army said was caused by the accidental explosion of material stored for use in mining (Reuters)
Myanmar Military Recaptures Two Strategic Border Towns
Myanmar’s military-backed government says it has regained control of Tonzang, near the border with India, and Mawtaung, a strategically important border town for trade with Thailand, as it seeks to reassert control of regions long held by resistance forces (AP)
ASEAN to Hold Talks With Myanmar Foreign Minister
Southeast Asian foreign ministers agreed to a virtual meeting with their Myanmar counterpart, ASEAN’s secretary-general said, as the country, having been barred from top ASEAN meetings since the outbreak of its civil war in 2021, seeks to re-engage (Reuters)
Aung San Suu Kyi Moved to House Arrest
Myanmar’s detained former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is to be moved to house arrest, state media reported, more than five years after the military ousted the civilian government she led and jailed her (Reuters)
EU Extends Sanctions Against Myanmar by a Year
The European Union extended its sanctions—which include asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo—against Myanmar until at least May 2027, to maintain pressure on the country’s military rulers (Reuters)
China’s Top Diplomat Visits Myanmar
China’s top diplomat visited Myanmar’s capital and met with Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military junta, as part of a regional tour aimed at strengthening Beijing’s political, security, and strategic ties in Southeast Asia (AP)
Myanmar President Seeks Peace Talks; Rebels Reject Offer
Myanmar’s military-backed government proposed new peace talks with armed resistance groups to be held within one hundred days; however, the two key rebel groups rejected the offer (Reuters)
Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sentence Cut, Former President Freed from Prison
Myanmar has reduced the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader, Aung San Suu Kyi—who was previously serving a twenty-seven-year sentence for a litany of charges—by one-sixth; junta leader Min Aung Hlaing also approved an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, including Suu Kyi ally Win Myint, who served as president from 2018 until the 2021 military coup (Reuters)
Min Aung Hlaing Assumes Presidency
Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021, was sworn in as Myanmar’s president following an election condemned by the UN and rights groups as neither free nor fair; the move is widely seen as an attempt to cloak continued military rule in a veneer of democracy, even as he faces the ongoing civil war sparked by resistance to his original coup (AP)
Myanmar Junta Chief Nominated for Presidency
Myanmar’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, sanctioned by Western nations for leading the 2021 coup, was nominated for the presidency in a parliament convened following elections widely condemned as fraudulent, with major opposition parties barred from participating (BBC)
Parliament to Start Process of Electing New President on March 30
Officials announced that Myanmar’s parliament will start the process to elect a new president on March 30; analysts expect that Min Aung Hlaing, head of the junta that seized power in the 2021 coup, will win (Reuters)
Myanmar’s Legislature Meets
The country’s legislature began its first session in more than five years, following a parliamentary election tightly controlled by the country’s military leaders; lawmakers linked to the military now hold almost 90 percent of parliamentary seats (AP)
The army touted the election as a return to democracy, saying it hopes it paves the way for sanctions relief and increased international investment, while critics have decried it as a sham (Reuters)
Myanmar’s Military Government Pardons Prisoners
Myanmar’s military leader granted amnesty to thousands of political detainees and activists to coincide with the Peasants’ Day national holiday, ahead of parliament’s convening; while the order excludes former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it includes several high-ranking members of her government and political party (AP)
Airstrikes Kill Seventeen, Injure Fifteen
An airstrike conducted by the military government killed seventeen people in Rakhine state; the Arakan army reported an additional fifteen people injured (Al Jazeera)
Philippines Objects to Chinese Embassy Comment on Job Loss Threat
The Philippine Foreign Ministry strongly objected to the Chinese Embassy in Manila’s comments that diplomatic disagreements between the two nations could lead to the loss of millions of jobs, noting that the comments could be deemed coercive; this comes as the Philippines and China have continued maritime confrontation over the contested South China Sea (Reuters)