General Min Aung Hlaing, the military ruler of Myanmar has declared himself the new Prime Minister in a newly formed caretaker government, the country’s official media agency has reported.
Just six months ago on February 1, the army led by General Hlaing, seized power from a civilian government following elections that were won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party which the military said had been fraudulent.
Myanmar’s military has since detained leader, Aung San Suu Kyi while dealing with a growing insurrection by supporters of Suu Kyi who have now taken up arms to fight against the Junta.
Min Aung Hlaing has chaired the State Administration Council (SAC) that was formed just after the coup and that has run Myanmar since then. After the coup, elected leader, Suu Kyi, 75, was charged with several crimes. Her trial on charges of illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios and breaking coronavirus protocols is scheduled to resume on Monday.
Reports say the armed forces have killed 939 dissidents since the coup while arresting at least 6,990 military opponents.
However, in a new development, General Hlaing on Sunday (Myanmar time) pledged to hold elections by 2023 and said his administration was ready to work with a future regional envoy on Myanmar.
“In order to perform the country’s duties fast, easily and effectively, the state administration council has been re-formed as caretaker government of Myanmar,” a newsreader on state Myawaddy television said.
He then repeated a pledge to restore democracy, saying, “We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023”.
He added: “I guarantee the establishment of a union based on democracy and federalism.”
