Myanmar’s president outlines policy road map, criticizes ASEAN peace plan
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- Min Aung Hlaing marked his first 100 days as president with a speech to 900+ lawmakers and officials in Naypyitaw, outlining a five-year road map: two years building toward a democracy and federal system, followed by three years of full-speed development.
- Min Aung Hlaing criticized ASEAN's 2021 five-point consensus as having been issued without agreement from all member states, claiming the regional bloc had discriminated against Myanmar in calling for an immediate end to violence and ASEAN-mediated dialogue.
- The military-backed government plans special elections in 2027 across 102 townships that were unable to vote during last year's three-phase general election because of armed conflict, and said it would continue implementing the military's conscription law while strengthening armed forces and police.
- Myanmar's government will proceed with 10 power generation projects, including the long-suspended Myitsone hydropower dam, and will continue efforts to build a nuclear power plant.
- Myanmar authorities have repatriated more than 72,000 foreigners linked to online scam operations to 58 countries as part of campaigns against money laundering, drug trafficking, and scam centers.
- Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged that large-scale youth emigration was hurting economic development but did not attribute it to the military's conscription law, which has been widely cited as a key driver of the outflow.
- Nan Lin, spokesperson for the General Strike Coordination Body, called the speech a signal that the junta intends to maintain its grip on power and will use conscription to "control young people through fear."
Why it matters: By publicly rejecting ASEAN's five-point consensus as discriminatory, Min Aung Hlaing has shut the door on the only regional framework that has tried for four years to broker Myanmar's de-escalation. His simultaneous pledge of 2027 elections in 102 conflict-affected townships — paired with continued conscription he refused to acknowledge as driving the youth exodus — signals to ethnic armed groups and ASEAN that compromise is not on offer.
