Myanmar Imposes Military Control in 60 Townships Amid ASEAN Calls for Prisoner Releases

Apr 24, 2026, 14:52

Introduction

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing has promulgated emergency ordinances that transfer executive and judicial authority to the military in 60 townships across nine states and regions, effectively placing these areas under martial law. Concurrently, the Philippines, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has urged further prisoner releases in Myanmar, including that of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, characterizing a recent amnesty as a constructive step toward national dialogue.

Main Body

The ordinances, announced on April 24 via state-owned media, cover townships in Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Shan, and Rakhine States, as well as the Sagaing, Magway, and Mandalay regions. The official justification cites the need to 'end armed terrorism' and restore 'the rule of law' for a 90-day period. Under the decrees, all administrative and judicial powers are vested in the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General Ye Win Oo, who has subsequently delegated these authorities to regional commanders. This arrangement grants military commanders direct control over security operations and legal proceedings, including the possibility of trying civilians in military tribunals with penalties ranging from long-term imprisonment to capital punishment. These measures represent the first major exercise of authority by Min Aung Hlaing since he assumed the presidency in early April following a general election that international critics and domestic opposition groups deemed neither free nor fair. The election was conducted after a series of extensions of a nationwide state of emergency that had been in place since the military's seizure of power in February 2021. That coup ousted the elected National League for Democracy government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread protests that evolved into an armed resistance movement across much of the country. In a statement issued on the same day, the Philippines, as ASEAN chair, reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to assisting Myanmar in achieving a peaceful and durable resolution to its political crisis. The statement encouraged additional prisoner releases, specifically mentioning Aung San Suu Kyi, and described a recent amnesty as a positive development toward an inclusive national dialogue. Separately, Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow reported after a meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw that Suu Kyi remains in good health and safe custody, while expressing concerns about her welfare. Earlier in the week, Min Aung Hlaing set a 100-day deadline for peace negotiations with anti-government armed groups. He extended invitations to both signatories and non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which was originally signed with eight ethnic armed organizations in October 2015.

Conclusion

In summary, Myanmar's government has expanded military authority over a significant portion of its territory while simultaneously pursuing diplomatic channels for dialogue. The international community, particularly through ASEAN, continues to advocate for the release of political detainees and a negotiated settlement to the crisis that began with the 2021 coup.

Vocabulary Learning

capital punishment (n.)
Death penalty / The legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.死刑
Example:The court imposed capital punishment for the most severe crimes.
detainees (n.)
Prisoners / Individuals who are kept in official custody, typically for political or security reasons.被拘留者
Example:The government agreed to release all political detainees as a gesture of goodwill.
durable (adj.)
Enduring / Able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration; long-lasting.持久的
Example:The peace treaty aimed to establish a durable settlement between the two nations.
promulgated (v.)
Proclaimed / To officially announce or put into effect a law or decree.頒佈
Example:The government promulgated a new set of regulations to address the crisis.
vested (v.)
Conferred / To formally grant authority or rights to a person or body.授予
Example:The constitution vests the power to declare war in the legislature.

Sentence Learning

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing has promulgated emergency ordinances that transfer executive and judicial authority to the military in 60 townships across nine states and regions, effectively placing these areas under martial law.
Participial Phrase: This sentence features a present participial phrase ('effectively placing these areas under martial law') that functions as an adverbial of result, modifying the main clause. The relative clause ('that transfer...') provides additional specification.分詞短語：本句包含一個現在分詞短語（「effectively placing these areas under martial law」），作為結果狀語修飾主句。關係從句（「that transfer...」）提供進一步說明。
Concurrently, the Philippines, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has urged further prisoner releases in Myanmar, including that of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, characterizing a recent amnesty as a constructive step toward national dialogue.
Apposition and Participial Phrase: The appositive phrase ('as chair of ASEAN') provides additional identification of the subject. The present participial phrase ('characterizing a recent amnesty...') adds accompanying circumstance. The prepositional phrase ('including that of...') elaborates on the object.同位語與分詞短語：同位語短語（「as chair of ASEAN」）對主語作補充說明。現在分詞短語（「characterizing a recent amnesty...」）表示伴隨狀況。介詞短語（「including that of...」）對賓語作進一步闡述。
These measures represent the first major exercise of authority by Min Aung Hlaing since he assumed the presidency in early April following a general election that international critics and domestic opposition groups deemed neither free nor fair.
Complex Relative Clause with Object Complement: The relative clause ('that international critics... deemed neither free nor fair') contains an object complement ('neither free nor fair') after the verb 'deemed'. The participial phrase ('following a general election') indicates temporal sequence.含賓語補足語的複雜關係從句：關係從句（「that international critics... deemed neither free nor fair」）中動詞「deemed」後帶有賓語補足語（「neither free nor fair」）。分詞短語（「following a general election」）表示時間順序。
That coup ousted the elected National League for Democracy government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread protests that evolved into an armed resistance movement across much of the country.
Participial Phrases and Relative Clause: This sentence uses a past participial phrase ('led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi') to modify the object, a present participial phrase ('triggering widespread protests') to indicate result, and a relative clause ('that evolved...') to further describe the protests.分詞短語與關係從句：本句使用過去分詞短語（「led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi」）修飾賓語，現在分詞短語（「triggering widespread protests」）表示結果，以及關係從句（「that evolved...」）進一步描述抗議活動。
In a statement issued on the same day, the Philippines, as ASEAN chair, reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to assisting Myanmar in achieving a peaceful and durable resolution to its political crisis.
Gerund and Participial Phrases: The past participial phrase ('issued on the same day') modifies 'statement'. The appositive ('as ASEAN chair') identifies the subject. The gerund phrases ('to assisting Myanmar' and 'in achieving...') function as objects of prepositions, indicating purpose and manner.動名詞與分詞短語：過去分詞短語（「issued on the same day」）修飾「statement」。同位語（「as ASEAN chair」）標明主語身份。動名詞短語（「to assisting Myanmar」及「in achieving...」）作為介詞賓語，表示目的與方式。