July 31 (Reuters) – Nearly four months after taking office, Myanmar’s junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing on Friday criticised the regional ASEAN bloc’s peace plan and outlined his government’s plans for the war-torn Southeast Asian country.
Myanmar was plunged into turmoil in February 2021 when the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking protests that expanded into a protracted civil war, killing some 100,000 people and displacing millions.
At the turn of this year, the military engineered a widely criticised election won by an army-backed party that allowed Min Aung Hlaing to transition into a civilian role.
Following are some key points from his speech to parliament:
• Dismissing ASEAN’s peace plan — known as the “Five Point Consensus” — Min Aung Hlaing said the 11-member bloc has discriminated against Myanmar.
• “We have been patient. We will respond to non-constructive actions on a case-by-case basis,” he said, without referring to any specific member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
• His administration will hold by-elections in 2027 in 172 constituencies unable to vote during the December-January polls because of the ongoing unrest.
• The government will enhance the capacity of the military and police, while continuing to implement a conscription law, he said.
• His administration has invited rebel groups for talks without preconditions and, so far, has met with 13 ethnic armed organisations (EAOs).
• The government is working to stop money laundering and arms smuggling by EAOs as well as cracking down on drug trafficking and online scam centres, Min Aung Hlaing said.
• The government is prioritising the 1,400-km (870-mile) India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project, as well as the 410-km (254-mile) Mandalay-Muse railway project to reach the border with China.
• “The goal is to export goods to international markets in a short time at low cost,” Min Aung Hlaing said.
• The government is currently working on 10 power generation projects, including the controversial Myitsone dam, and efforts are also underway to build a nuclear power plant.
• His government will allocate 10% of the national budget for the education sector in the next fiscal year and up to 15% in the 2028-2029 fiscal year.
• The government is focusing on the tourism and agriculture sectors, and aims to boost domestic cotton production via loans and technical assistance for farmers, he said.
• Large numbers of young people, aged between 18 and 34, have been leaving the country, impacting economic development, he said.
• The military’s conscription law is a major factor for this exodus, Reuters has previously reported.
• “I will take two years to build momentum for constructing a new nation,” he said. “I will also take three years to execute this build-up at full speed.”
(Reporting Reuters staff, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by David Stanway)
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