Min Aung Hlaing Slams ASEAN, Charts Myanmar's Build-Out
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- Min Aung Hlaing rejected ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus, accusing the 11-member bloc of discriminating against Myanmar and warning: "We have been patient. We will respond to non-constructive actions on a case-by-case basis."
- Myanmar's government will hold by-elections in 2027 across 172 constituencies that were unable to vote during the December-to-January polls due to ongoing unrest.
- Min Aung Hlaing's administration will enhance military and police capacity and continue implementing the conscription law that he acknowledged is driving a mass exodus of 18-34 year-olds.
- Myanmar's government is prioritizing the 1,400km India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and a 410km Mandalay-Muse railway to the Chinese border to cut export costs.
- Myanmar's government is working on 10 power generation projects, including the controversial Myitsone dam and a planned nuclear power plant.
- Myanmar's government will allocate 10% of the national budget to education next fiscal year, rising to 15% by 2028-2029.
- Min Aung Hlaing set a self-imposed timeline: two years to build momentum and three years to execute at full speed, framing his goal as constructing a "new nation."
Why it matters: The speech marks a shift from passive non-cooperation to active diplomatic pushback against ASEAN, with the junta chief explicitly reserving the right to retaliate against unnamed members. The infrastructure slate — a highway to India, a railway to China, and a nuclear plant — signals Min Aung Hlaing is bypassing ASEAN isolation by deepening ties with both Asian powers, while the 10–15% education budget pledge is a direct, numeric response to the brain drain the conscription law is fueling.
