Years of shifting resources away from the Myanmar army and changing requirements for its senior ranks have led to its current weaknesses on the battlefield. Are the junta fielding men of straw? A former ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute researcher weighs in.
A Textbook Example of Authoritarian Rule in Myanmar
Myanmar regime troops during the Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw on March 27.
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By Mon Mon Myat 9 April 2021
It is common in Yangon today to see military trucks packed with dozens of soldiers followed by a car with a loudspeaker announcing local directives issued by the regional military commander. All day long, the cars drive around Yangon’s outskirts enforcing martial law. The announcements are similar to what we heard 30 years ago under SLORC/SPDC (State Law and Order Restoration Council/State Peace and Development Council) regimes, only the details are different.