August 8, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
Junta-controlled state media reported that coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who continues to be excluded from high-level ASEAN summits, sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 59th ASEAN Day anniversary.
Despite rejecting ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, the self-appointed coup president stated in his message that his regime would persist in implementing Myanmar’s own home-grown process to pursue peace, stability, and national development.
While Min Aung Hlaing asserted that he will continue to pursue peace, stability, and national development, armed clashes persist across the country, and the military continues to launch airstrikes against civilian populations.
Observers point out that Min Aung Hlaing’s “peace talks” deliberately exclude active armed resistance forces currently engaged in fighting, focusing instead only on non-combatant groups.
According to a report released in July by the Myanmar Internet Project (MIP), military regime airstrikes killed over 300 civilians in a span of three months.
Furthermore, the latest data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) indicates that Min Aung Hlaing’s administration continues to detain and imprison 14,647 political prisoners, including elected public leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Although the coup president claimed to drive national development, World Bank data shows Myanmar currently ranking alongside Timor-Leste as one of the least developed countries in Southeast Asia.
The World Bank’s Myanmar Economic Monitor highlighted that the nation’s private sector is operating within an environment fraught with severe challenges and deep uncertainty. Facing rising operational costs, bureaucratic hurdles, and policy unpredictability, most businesses are forced to focus strictly on survival rather than growth or expansion.
In previous assessments, the World Bank noted that Myanmar remains the only country in Southeast Asia whose economy has failed to recover to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
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