Myanmar Now
September 28, 2023
Ex-NLD member Sandar Min, Rakhine politician Aye Maung, and a pro-junta lobbyist meet with two Japanese MPs in Tokyo
A group of Myanmar pro-junta individuals, including two well-known politicians, lobbied Japanese parliamentarians to support the regime’s planned election during a trip to the country earlier this month, an inside source told Myanmar Now.
Sandar Min, an ousted member of the former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD); Aye Maung, chair of the Arakan Front Party; and Kyaw Myo Min, who runs the pro-army news outlet Neo Politics, met with two opposition lawmakers in Tokyo on September 19, according to the source, who did not disclose the identities of the Japanese MPs.
Sandar Min, an ousted member of the former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD); Aye Maung, chair of the Arakan Front Party; and Kyaw Myo Min, who runs the pro-army news outlet Neo Politics, met with two opposition lawmakers in Tokyo on September 19, according to the source, who did not disclose the identities of the Japanese MPs.
The individual said that the meeting was arranged by the non-profit Japan-Myanmar Exchange Promotion Association. Two representatives of the organisation, Than Naing and Yuki Takaichi, were also reportedly present at the meeting. The source added that the Japanese lawmakers were initially told that a former NLD member had requested a meeting to discuss Myanmar issues.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the elected civilian government headed by the NLD administration was ousted in a military coup in February 2021 under the pretext that electoral fraud had been perpetrated during the previous year’s polls. The junta continues to struggle to quell the nationwide armed resistance movement triggered by its violent crackdowns on peaceful protests in the wake of its seizure of power.
The source said that the trio told the Japanese parliamentarians that the National Unity Government (NUG)—formed with the mandate of NLD lawmakers who were not able to take their seats after the coup—and its armed wing, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), were responsible for the country’s ongoing crisis.
During the meeting, they were said to have handed the MPs a brochure published by the junta’s information ministry, titled “Terrorist Acts, Casualties, Destructive and Disruptive Activities and Arms and Ammunition Seized.” It was printed in March 2023 and the incidents included reportedly took place between February 2021 and January 2023 and were “compiled and recorded by the editorial team” of the ministry’s information and public relations department.
All three members of the Myanmar delegation have ties to the military. Sandar Min, though a former political prisoner, became a controversial figure after the coup due to her engagement with the regime in defiance of her party’s position. The NLD expelled her and three other party members in March, saying in a statement that they had misused the party’s name and acted against its policies.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the elected civilian government headed by the NLD administration was ousted in a military coup in February 2021 under the pretext that electoral fraud had been perpetrated during the previous year’s polls. The junta continues to struggle to quell the nationwide armed resistance movement triggered by its violent crackdowns on peaceful protests in the wake of its seizure of power.
The source said that the trio told the Japanese parliamentarians that the National Unity Government (NUG)—formed with the mandate of NLD lawmakers who were not able to take their seats after the coup—and its armed wing, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), were responsible for the country’s ongoing crisis.
During the meeting, they were said to have handed the MPs a brochure published by the junta’s information ministry, titled “Terrorist Acts, Casualties, Destructive and Disruptive Activities and Arms and Ammunition Seized.” It was printed in March 2023 and the incidents included reportedly took place between February 2021 and January 2023 and were “compiled and recorded by the editorial team” of the ministry’s information and public relations department.
All three members of the Myanmar delegation have ties to the military. Sandar Min, though a former political prisoner, became a controversial figure after the coup due to her engagement with the regime in defiance of her party’s position. The NLD expelled her and three other party members in March, saying in a statement that they had misused the party’s name and acted against its policies.
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