Myanmar Junta Boss’s Sudden Embrace of Gen. Aung San Seen as Election Ploy

Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday made his first appearance at the annual Martyrs’ Day event in Yangon since he seized power in a military coup in 2021. The ceremony marks the assassination of independence hero General Aung San and his colleagues in 1947.

His visit to the Martyrs’ Mausoleum comes just months before the regime’s planned election scheduled for December.

From 2021 to 2024, Martyrs’ Day commemorations were handled by the regime’s minister of religious affairs and culture, with Min Aung Hlaing notably absent.

Now, with only about five months to go until the election, the regime boss seems to have changed his stance on General Aung San, visiting his historic residence and making symbolic gestures like pledging to restore the general’s car and clean up the area surrounding the residence.