Senior General Min Aung Hlaing

Notable Quotes

The remaining sentence is to be served at the designated residence. — Statement attributed to Min Aung Hlaing, read by state broadcaster MRTV

from Myanmar junta moves Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest · Updated May 1

"The military will lead the country back to democracy" — Statement after 2021 coup, promising elections within two years

from Myanmar's sham election under military rule · Updated Jan 27

"The people's vote is the recognition we need. The Myanmar people are voting, not outsiders. Therefore, we don't really care if the international community recognizes the election" — Response to international criticism, January 26, 2026

from Myanmar's sham election under military rule · Updated Jan 27

Stories

Myanmar junta moves Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest

Force in Play

Sworn in as civilian president on April 10, 2026

Aung San Suu Kyi is 80 years old and has been in state custody since soldiers pulled her out of bed on February 1, 2021. On April 30, 2026, Myanmar's state broadcaster MRTV announced that the country's new president — the same general who led the coup against her — had commuted the rest of her 18-year sentence to be served at a 'designated residence.' She is no longer in Naypyidaw prison, but the location of the residence has not been disclosed and her son and lawyers have had no contact with her.

Updated May 1

Myanmar's sham election under military rule

Force in Play

De facto ruler of Myanmar, facing ICC arrest warrant

Myanmar's military junta completed its three-phase election on January 25, 2026, with the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party winning nearly 90% of contested seats—a predetermined outcome that fools no one. Combined with 166 seats constitutionally reserved for the military, the bloc controls just under 400 seats, well above the 294 needed to form a government. The junta announced parliament will convene in March and a new government will take office in April, completing the theatrical transformation of coup leaders into 'elected' officials. ASEAN explicitly refused to recognize the results—the first time the regional bloc formally rejected a member state's election—while the EU, UK, and UN condemned the exercise as illegitimate.

Updated Jan 27

The Gambia v. Myanmar: world's first genocide case in a decade goes to trial

Rule Changes

Facing ICC arrest warrant application; subject of Argentine arrest warrant

The Gambia—population 2.5 million, no direct ties to Myanmar—is prosecuting one of history's most ambitious genocide cases. On January 12, 2026, the International Court of Justice opened three weeks of hearings on whether Myanmar's military deliberately tried to destroy the Rohingya people. The Gambia's legal team, led by Justice Minister Dawda Jallow and British barrister Philippe Sands, told judges 'the only reasonable conclusion is that a genocidal intent permeated Myanmar's state-led actions.' Myanmar called the allegations 'flawed and unfounded.' It's the first full genocide trial at the world court since Serbia was held accountable for Srebrenica in 2007.

Updated Jan 14