Myanmar's President Presents Road Map, Rejects ASEAN Peace Plan as Discriminatory
Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing on Friday (July 31, 2026) marked his government's first 100 days in office with a speech defending its record and outlining a five-year road map for the administration, which continues to face armed conflict and international criticism.
Speaking before more than 900 lawmakers, officials and military representatives at Parliament in the capital, Naypyitaw, he said his government had laid “important foundations” by pursuing two priorities — restoring peace and stability and promoting national development.
Mr. Min Aung Hlaing, a former army chief who seized power from an elected civilian government in a 2021 coup, was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was designed to entrench military rule. He said his government would spend two years accelerating efforts to build a modern and developed nation based on democracy and a federal system, followed by three years of full-speed development.
He also announced that special elections would be held in 2027 in constituencies across 102 townships that were unable to vote in the three-phase election held late last year because of armed conflict.
The president said his administration would continue implementing the military's conscription law and strengthen the armed forces and police as they fight pro-democracy activists and ethnic minority rebels across large parts of the country. He noted that his government had invited armed groups to lay down their weapons and had held talks with 13 ethnic armed groups.
In his address, Mr. Min Aung Hlaing criticised the five-point consensus adopted by Southeast Asian leaders in 2021 to end Myanmar's civil strife, saying it had been issued without the agreement of all member states and that the regional bloc had discriminated against Myanmar. The consensus called for an immediate end to violence and dialogue among contending parties, to be brokered through an ASEAN special envoy.
He also outlined energy and infrastructure plans, saying the government would proceed with 10 power generation projects, including the controversial Myitsone hydropower project, which was suspended more than a decade ago after protests over its environmental impact. He added that efforts to build a nuclear power plant would continue.
On transnational crime, Mr. Min Aung Hlaing said authorities were working to combat money laundering, drug trafficking and online scam centres. He said more than 72,000 foreigners linked to scam operations had been repatriated to 58 countries.
The president acknowledged that the departure of large numbers of young Myanmar citizens was hurting economic development, but he did not mention the conscription law, which has been widely cited as a key factor behind the youth exodus.
Nan Lin, a spokesperson for the General Strike Coordination Body, a leading nonviolent activist group, said the speech showed the military's intention to maintain its grip on power. “No meaningful change can be expected from the junta,” he said. “They will use the conscription law to control young people through fear, and the situation could worsen as they continue to sacrifice young people in order to hold on to power.”
