Monks Sitagu Sayadaw and Ashin Chekinda, who reportedly urged Min Aung Hlaing to seize power even before the 2020 election, have joined him on his current trip to Russia.
Than Shwe’s right-hand man Dr. Tha Yin Myat and his family are among the main donors to a $540,000 Yangon monastery likely opened to mark Min Aung Hlaing’s 66th birthday.
Among the biggest donors to the 25-m-high statue in Naypyitaw are members of the current junta as well as ex-generals and ministers of former military regimes.