Min Aung Hlaing’s regime models itself on a medieval system of subjugation and conquest that failed at nation-building and which the people have always rejected.
To mark the 77th Armed Forces Day today, The Irrawaddy revisits a 2017 profile of the WWII Japanese officer who was instrumental in creating Myanmar’s modern military.
Myanmar’s Failed Mutinies in History
The Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in 2018. / The Irrawaddy
4.2k
By The Irrawaddy 11 May 2021
After Myanmar’s military coup on Feb. 1, some military personnel have joined the civil disobedience movement and left the armed forces.
The National Union Government (NUG), a shadow cabinet formed to rival the military regime, has urged personnel to mutiny and join the NUG’s People’s Defence Force.
It is widely believed that a counter-coup by disgruntled military officers or a large-scale mutiny could resolve the crisis.
However, analysts say any major mutiny is unlikely because of the leadership’s tight grip on personnel, including their families. Generally, the immediate family of personnel live inside military camps.