Min Aung Hlaing selects 30 ministers; First batch of conscripts complete two-years of military service

First batch of conscripts complete two-years of military service

A ceremony was held in the Karenni State capital Loikaw on April 3 for the first 385 male conscripts, aged 18 to 35, drafted into military service upon the completion of their mandated two-years under the conscription law, which was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024. Training for the first batch of military conscripts began across Burma on April 8, 2024, according to the regime.

Zin Yaw, a former captain in the Burma Army who defected to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) following the 2021 military coup, told DVB that the military may release some conscripts while attempting to retain others as full-time soldiers. “We need to monitor their releases,” he said. The ceremony on April 3 is the first reported instance of conscripts completing their two-years of military service.

Nationwide conscription has now reached its 23rd round with the 21st round of conscripts reported to have completed military training earlier this month, according to the regime. A source in Yangon who assists conscripts to evade military service told DVB that none of the males conscripted into the military over the last two years have returned to their family homes. Read more

Min Aung Hlaing selects 30 ministers for 31 ministries

Min Aung Hlaing, voted by pro-military lawmakers as president on April 3, presented the names of the 30 ministers to lead the proposed 31 ministries at a session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Burma’s bicameral parliament, in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. His written message was announced by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw speaker Aung Lin Dwe as Min Aung Hlaing did not attend the April 7 parliamentary session.

Tun Aung, the Burma Air Force chief, was nominated Minister of Defence. Nyunt Win Swe, the commander of the Yangon Regional Military Command (RMC) from 2020-23, was nominated Home Affairs minister. Tin Maung Swe, Burma’s ambassador to China from 2022-25, was nominated as Foreign Affairs minister. Under the 2008 constitution, all three posts are entitled to seats on the 11-member National Defence and Security Council (NDSC).

A total of 12 new ministerial nominees were announced with the other 18 being incumbent regime ministers. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw approved Min Aung Hlaing’s proposal to form 31 ministries on April 7 after he proposed six new ministries: Women Affairs, Youth Affairs, President’s Office, Industry and Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Digital Development and Communications, and Hotels, Tourism and Culture.