Born in Minbu,Min Aung Hlaing studied law at the Rangoon Arts and Science University before joining the military. Rising through its ranks,he became a senior general by 2013.[4] During the period of civilian rule from 2011 to 2021,he work to ensure the military's continued role in politics and forestalled the peace process with ethnic armed groups. A United Nations fact-finding mission found he deliberately perpetrated the Rohingya genocide. He maintained an adversarial relationship with democratically-elected State CounsellorAung San Suu Kyi,though she defended him against genocide charges.[5]
Min Aung Hlaing's forces have employed scorched earth tactics in the civil war,including airstrikes on civilians.[12][13] He has ordered the execution of prominent pro-democracy activists,the first use of the death penalty in decades.[14][15] In February 2024,he activated Myanmar's People's Military Service Conscription Law to draft 60,000 young people into the Tatmadaw.[16] In foreign policy,he has resisted influence from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and relied on greater cooperation with Russia,China,and India.[17][18] In response to his human rights abuses and corruption,Min Aung Hlaing and his government have been subjected to an extensive series of international sanctions,returning Myanmar to its former status as a pariah state. The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2022 Democracy Index rated Myanmar under Min Aung Hlaing as the second-most authoritarian regime in the world,with only Afghanistan rated less democratic.[19]
In 1989,as a Captain (3 stars),Min Aung Hlaing took part in the Battle of Wan Kha Thit,better known as the Battle of Kawmoora. This battle was a clash between army troops controlled by then Commander-in-chiefSenior GeneralThan Shwe and the Karen National Union (KNU). Due to the base's difficult position to attack,the Myanmar military repeatedly assaulted it throughout 1989 but failed to seize it,halting operations in 1990 after suffering hundreds of casualties.
To ward off harm from enemy shells and bullets,Min Aung Hlaing carried a Buddha statue in his bag of topographic maps worn across his chest. Despite making speeches for officer cadets to be brave soldiers like him,he never led any missions against KNU troops.[30]
Min Aung Hlaing served as a Battalion Officer Commanding,ranked as a Major,at the No. (369) Light Infantry Battalion (Homalin) under the Regional Operations Command (Kalay) of the Northwestern Regional Military Command. During his service,he imprisoned the pregnant wife of a sergeant who was deemed to have deserted the battalion. At that time,the General Officer Commanding of the Regional Operations Command (Kalay) was Brigadier General Thura Aung Ko,and the Tactical Operation Command Officer Commanding was Colonel Kyaw Thu. During an inspection,Colonel Kyaw Thu discovered the woman locked in the battalion prison and questioned Major Min Aung Hlaing why he did such a thing. Min Aung Hlaing explained that she was imprisoned because her husband had deserted. Colonel Kyaw Thu responded,"Do not do such a disgraceful thing. It's nonsense to arrest the wife just because her husband deserted. Release her now."[31] The woman was only released thanks to Colonel Kyaw Thu's intervention.
Min Aung Hlaing served as the 19th rector of the Defence Services Academy (DSA),having graduated from its 19th intake. During his tenure,he was involved in an incident with Nay Shwe Thway Aung (also known as Phoe La Pyae),the 8-year-old grandson of Senior GeneralThan Shwe. Nay Shwe Thway Aung visited the academy with a colonel acting as his personal bodyguard. At Nay Shwe Thway Aung's request,Min Aung Hlaing organized a football match,dismissing the Officer Cadets from their Physical Training (PT) session. Throughout the match,Min Aung Hlaing frequently inquired about Nay Shwe Thway Aung's well-being,contrasting with his usually strict demeanor towards the officers on the field.[32]
Min Aung Hlaing was also known for his strict enforcement of military regulations. He reported several coaches and cadets to the Military Appointment General (MAG) for minor infractions,such as not wearing helmets while riding motorcycles. These actions were perceived as efforts to secure his promotion to Major General and to obtain a position as a General Officer Commanding as a Regional Military Command. As a result of his reports,the officers and cadets faced significant career setbacks,with many unable to advance beyond the rank of Captain.[32]
As he rose through the ranks,Min Aung Hlaing earned a reputation as a hardliner.[23] His military work earned him the favour of Senior General Than Shwe.[33] Min Aung Hlaing is characterized as having a "big man" management style not conducive to collaboration or listening.[33]
Min Aung Hlaing has been the subject of controversy for his family's extensive business assets and potential conflicts of interest.[37] He is a major shareholder in the army-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL). During the 2010–11 fiscal year,he had owned 5,000 shares and received an annual dividend of $250,000 (~$349,994 in 2024).[38] He sits on MEHL's Patron Group,which runs the conglomerate.[39]
Min Aung Hlaing's son,Aung Pyae Sone,owns a number of companies,including Sky One Construction Company and Aung Myint Mo Min Insurance Company.[40] He also has a majority stake in Mytel,a national telecoms carrier.[40] In 2013,his son Aung Pyae Sone won a no-bid government permit well below market rates,for a 30-year lease on land at the Yangon People's Square and Park for a high-end restaurant and art gallery,following his father's promotion to Commander-in-Chief.[41]Aung Pyae Sone also runs A&M Mahar,which offers Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and customs clearance services for drugs and medical devices.[42] Myanmar's customs department is led by Kyaw Htin,a former MEHL director.[42]
His daughter Khin Thiri Thet Mon founded a major film studio,7th Sense Creation,in 2017.[43] That same year,his daughter-in-law,Myo Yadanar Htaik,founded another entertainment company,Stellar Seven Entertainment.[43] The US Embassy in Yangon came under media scrutiny in December 2020,for collaborating with 7th Sense Creation,because Min Aung Hlaing is technically subject to US economic sanctions.[44]
Commander-in-chief
2011–2015:Union Solidarity and Development Party rule
Min Aung Hlaing meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 29 July 2015
Not long after becoming Commander-in-chief,he removed the Adjutant General,Lieutenant General Kyaw Phyo and General Officer Commanding of Central Regional Military Command Major General Tin Ngwe and built the atmosphere of fear among the top brass.[32]
In November 2011,according to The Irrawaddy,it was "widely believed" that following Min Aung Hlaing's meetings with Chinese military officials that month and his leadership in creating a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation with the Chinese,he had also held talks with Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping regarding cooperation from China with respect to the Kachin Conflict.[36]
In 2014,as Min Aung Hlaing approached the age of 60,which is the mandatory age of retirement for military officers,the Armed Forces' Department of Defence Council issued a directive,enabling Min Aung Hlaing to extend his mandatory retirement age to 65,in 2021.[48]
In August 2015,the USDP fractured,and President Thein Sein purged the faction led by Shwe Mann,a former general and Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw.[45] Min Aung Hlaing oversaw a direct military intervention to oust Shwe Mann from power,indicating the military's desire to continue furthering its agenda through USDP.[49] Shwe Mann had advocated for legislation and constitutional amendments that would have decreased the military's influence,against the interests of the military and USDP.[49]
2016–2020:Transition to National League for Democracy rule
Min Aung Hlaing meeting with Japanese prime minister ShinzōAbe in Tokyo,4 August 2017
Min Aung Hlaing also began to signal his interest in civilian politics.[45] He began assuming a more statesman-like persona,and became increasingly assertive about the military's role.[52][29] In the lead-up to the 2020 Myanmar general election,he worked with the USDP to position himself as the next President.[52] Throughout 2019,Min Aung Hlaing made several public appearances dubbed a "charm offensive," at several religious sites and charity functions,[53] raising speculation about his political ambitions.[54][48] To cultivate his public persona,he began two Facebook pages that commanded a combined following of 4.1 million followers.[55][56] In January 2020,Min Aung Hlaing met with Chinese leaderXi Jinping in Nay Pyi Taw. Xi promoted the practical cooperation under the framework of the One Belt One Road to achieve results at an early date and benefit Myanmar's people.[57] In May 2020,Min Aung Hlaing reshuffled senior military ranks,promoting a new generation of officers loyal to him,including Kyaw Swar Lin,who became the military's youngest lieutenant general.[58]
Min Aung Hlaing meeting with Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu,17 August 2019
War with the Arakan Army intensified during this period,and the military was accused of targeting Arakanese civilians and their properties. On 17 March 2019,Kyaw Zaw Oo,an Arakanese MP,published a bilingual open letter to Min Aung Hlaing about the many human rights violations of the Tatmadaw in Rakhine State that harmed the lives and property of civilians and damaged buildings of cultural heritage.[59][60]
In February 2020,Min Aung Hlaing,his wife Kyu Kyu Hla and with his close astrologer Vasipake Sayadaw placed the "Hti" umbrella atop Bagan's most powerful ancient Htilominlo Temple. The meaning of the temple name is "need the royal umbrella,need the King". He was following in the footsteps of some of Myanmar's most powerful political figures including his predecessor,Senior General Than Shwe. Many people believed that the ceremony was a yadaya and seeking divine blessings for his glory.[61]
In November 2020,Min Aung Hlaing made a series of public comments questioning the legitimacy of the upcoming 2020 election,in potential violation of the Civil Services Personnel Law.[62] On 5 November,the Tatmadaw declared that Min Aung Hlaing's rank is equivalent to Vice President of Myanmar.[63] After casting his ballot in the 2020 election,Min Aung Hlaing vowed to accept the election results.[64] The 2020 election saw NLD win in a larger landslide than in 2015,forestalling Min Aung Hlaing's political ambitions. In response,the military began intensifying allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities,submitting formal complaints to the Union Election Commission (UEC).[65]
2021 Myanmar coup d'état
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2025)
Demonstration against the military coup in Hpa-an, Kayin State, Myanmar, 9 February 2021Min Aung Hlaing during the Tatmadaw's 76th anniversary day on 27 March 2021
On 27 January 2021, Min Aung Hlaing publicly remarked that he would not rule out a coup d'état and abolition of the constitution, if allegations of voter fraud during last year's election were not adequately addressed. These comments sparked concern about another potential coup.[66] The following day, the UEC issued a statement rejecting claims of electoral fraud, citing the lack of evidence submitted to substantiate these claims.[67] On 29 January, the military issued clarifying statements pledging to protect and abide by the constitution and applicable laws.[68]
On 22 May 2021, Min Aung Hlaing gave his first interview since the coup to Hong Kong-based Chinese language Phoenix Television. During the interview, he referred to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and he said that she "is in good health. She is at her home and healthy. She is going to face trial at the court in a few days."[71] On the same day, Myanmar Now reported that shortly after the coup, Min Aung Hlaing appointed himself indefinitely as the commander-in-chief and therefore the de facto leader of Myanmar.[72]
In January 2023, Min Aung Hlaing enacted a new electoral law aimed at rigging the next general election in favor of the USDP.[82][83] He is himself considered a likely USDP nominee for President in the subsequent presidential election.[84]
Min Aung Hlaing refused to give up his emergency powers when they were constitutionally set to expire on 1 February 2023, further delaying new elections.[85][86]
In March 2023, Min Aung Hlaing made a rare public appearance at the Armed Forces Day parade stating that his government would continue to fight back against resistance groups in the country and their "acts of terror". Hlaing called his critics supporters of terrorism.[87]
Min Aung Hlaing with Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, 4 March 2025
Starting in January 2024, multiple pro-military figures condemned Min Aung Hlaing for incompetence and excessive self-interest after the Tatmadaw suffered an unprecedented string of defeats during Operation 1027.[88] In February 2024, to address the Tatmadaw's personnel issues, Min Aung Hlaing activated Myanmar's 1959 People's Military Service Law for the first time, with plans to draft 60,000 young men and women.[16][89] Men aged 18–35 and women aged 18–27 will be required to serve up to five years under the state of emergency, or face five years imprisonment.[90]
In March 2024, Min Aung Hlaing claimed at the Armed Forces Day parade young people are being tricked into supporting the resistance against the military, and accused "some powerful nations" of trying to interfere with Myanmar’s internal affairs.[91]
On 13 April 2023, Min Aung Hlaing was featured on Time magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People of 2023".[92]
According to SAC media, resistance groups in Yangon attempted to assassinate Min Aung Hlaing with explosives and firearms in June 2024.[94][95]
On 22 July 2024 Min Aung Hlaing became acting President after Myint Swe took medical leave.[96]
Min Aung Hlaing ordered the arrest of Nay Soe Maung, the son-in-law of Senior General Than Shwe, on 23 October 2024 in Pyigyitagun Township, Mandalay.[97][98] This arrest occurred during the ongoing challenges to his rule following the coup.[99][100][101] The groundwork for such actions against opposition figures was laid by Than Shwe, whose enduring influence over the military had previously established its stronghold in Myanmar's political landscape.[102][103]
Min Aung Hlaing with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, 3 April 2025
In January 2025, ASEAN upheld its decision to ban Min Aung Hlaing from attending its summits and limit Myanmar's participation to a non-political level.[104]
On 31 January 2025, Myanmar's ruling military extended the state of emergency for another six months, with the decision approved unanimously by the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) under Section 425 of the 2008 Constitution. Min Aung Hlaing, as chairman of the council, stated that maintaining stability remained necessary before elections could be held.[105][106]
The state of emergency, first declared following the February 2021 military takeover, has been extended multiple times. Under Myanmar's constitutional framework, elections cannot be conducted while a state of emergency is in place. The military has previously announced plans to hold elections in 2025, though the latest extension means they cannot take place until at least the second half of the year.[107][108]
Min Aung Hlaing made an official visit to Moscow on 3 March 2025 at Putin's invitation, holding talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace the following day.[109] During this visit, they oversaw the signing of ten memorandums of understanding covering sectors such as nuclear energy, space exploration, trade, education, and investment.[110] An agreement was also reached to build a small-scale nuclear power plant in Myanmar, starting with a capacity of 110 megawatts and potential expansion. Additionally, a memorandum on space exploration and satellite technology led to reports of a satellite imagery analysis center being established in Myanmar with Russian support.[111] Min Aung Hlaing expressed gratitude for Russia's support in international forums and reiterated Myanmar's backing for Russia's actions in Ukraine. Putin also invited him to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May 2025.[112][113][114]
During a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on March 4, 2025, Min Aung Hlaing claimed that the Buddha had prophesied Putin's rise to power. According to Min Aung Hlaing, the prophecy foretold that a figure, referred to as the "rat king," would emerge as the emperor of the Russian people after the year 2000 of the Buddhist calendar and become a key ally to the kings of Burma. He recounted the story behind the prophecy:[115][116]
"During the time of our Lord Buddha, when a rat king named Thawma dug up tubers and offered them to the Buddha, the Buddha smiled. When asked why he smiled, the Lord Buddha replied that the rat king Thawma would be reborn as the emperor of the Russian people, one of the 12 Western peoples, during the reign of King Pāpa after the year 2000 of the Buddhist era. He would be unrivaled in the art of weaponry, a unique weapons master emperor, and would become a close and friendly ally of the Burmese kings."
—Min Aung Hlaing
Min Aung Hlaing then connected the prophecy to contemporary geopolitics, stating that the current strategic alliance between Russia and Myanmar, and that Russia has achieved a world-leading position in weapons and technology. Therefore, the Buddha's prophecy had come true "in a remarkably coincidental and wonderful way". He also presented President Putin with a copy of the book U Aung Zeya's Biography, written in 1838 by the Pali scholar U Saw, which contains references to the Rat King.[117][118]
Min Aung Hlaing at the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand, 4 April 2025
On 27 March 2025, during the 80th anniversary of Myanmar Armed Forces Day, Min Aung Hlaing said that a general election would be held by the end of the year, pledging that the military would hand over power to the winning party in a structured and lawful manner.[119][120]
Following the 2025 Myanmar earthquake on 28 March, Min Aung Hlaing made made a rare invitation for other countries and international organizations to provide relief to Myanmar.[121] On 3 April, he visited Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.[122]
Facebook banned Min Aung Hlaing from its platform along with 19 other top Burmese officials and organisations to prevent further heated ethnic and religious tensions in Myanmar. This action followed a UN investigation's report that certain military leaders in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide against Rohingya Muslims.[127][128]Twitter later banned him on 16 May 2019.[129]
The United States has imposed sanctions against Min Aung Hlaing. In July 2019, the U.S. government banned him from travel to the US.[130] In December 2020, it froze Min Aung Hlaing's American-based assets and criminalized financial transactions between him and anyone in the US.[130][131]
On 14 February 2025, a court in Argentina, acting on a petition from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK and citing the principle of universal jurisdiction, issued arrest warrants against Min Aung Hlaing and other senior Myanmar officials on charges of "genocide and crimes against humanity" against the Rohingyas.[135] In response, Myanmar military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun rejected the ruling, calling it "baseless" and accusing Argentina’s judiciary of political interference. He defended Min Aung Hlaing, asserting that the accusations were politically motivated and lacked legitimacy.[136][137]
Sanctions
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on Min Aung Hlaing since 10 December 2019, pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption. He has committed serious human rights abuses against members of ethnic minorities across Myanmar. The US sanctions include a freezing of assets under the US and a ban on transactions with any US person.[138] In 2022, he was also placed on the sanctions list of the OFAC pursuant to Executive Order 14014, in response to the 2–21 coup.[139] OFAC also sanctioned some of the companies that Hlaing and/or his associates owned or controlled, including the MEC conglomerate headed by Hlaing.[140]
The Government of Canada has imposed sanctions on him since 18 February 2021, pursuant to Special Economic Measures Act and Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations, in response to the gravity of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar. Canadian sanctions include a freezing of assets and a ban on transactions with any Canadian person.[141][142]
The Council of the European Union has also imposed sanctions on him since 22 March 2021, pursuant to Council Regulation (EU) 2021/479 and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/480 which amended Council Regulation (EU) No 401/2013, for his responsibility for the 2021 coup and the subsequent military and police repression against peaceful demonstrators. The EU sanctions include a freezing of assets and a ban on entry or transit to the bloc.[144][145]
On 7 October 2019, the Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) awarded him the title of Mingaladhamma Zawtika Dhaza and the permanent patron of the YMBA.[151][152] On 9 December 2020, YMBA awarded him the title of Thado Thiri Agga Maha Mingalar Zawtika.[153]
2018 – Malaysia: The Most Gallant Order of Military Service, Gallant Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces (Darjah Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera), Honorary Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valor (1st Degree), Malaysia.[155]
↑Campbell, Joshua (13 April 2023). "Min Aung Hlaing". The 100 Most Influential People of 2023. TIME. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023. Min Aung Hlaing has returned Myanmar to a pariah state and made it the world's second most authoritarian regime, per the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2022 Democracy Index. Only Taliban-ruled Afghanistan ranked worse.
↑"ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး မင်းအောင်လှိုင်၏ ဖုံးဝှက်ထားသော ရုပ်ပုံလွှာ". 26 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024. မလုပ်ကောင်းတာတွေ မလုပ်နဲ့ကွာ၊ ယောက်ျားထွက်ပြေးလို့ မိန်းမကို ဖမ်းတယ်ဆိုတာ အဓိပ္ပာယ်မရှိဘူး၊ အခုလွှတ်ပေးလိုက်[Hey, don't do such disgraceful action. It doesn't make any sense to arrest a wife for her husband's action]
123"မင်းအောင်လှိုင်ကြောင့် နာမည်ပျက်ရတဲ့ ဒေါ်စိန်အေး"[Daw Sein Aye who lost her reputation due to Min Aung Hlaing]. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024. မင်းအောင်လှိုင် ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီး ဖြစ်ချိန်တွင် ဦးသန်းရွှေ၏ မြေးဖြစ်သူ နေရွှေသွေးအောင် (ခ) ဖိုးလပြည့် ငယ်ငယ် ၈ တန်း ကျောင်းသားအရွယ်က DSA ကို လာလည်သည်။ ဖိုးလပြည့် အနီးကပ် ကိုယ်ရံတော် ဗိုလ်မှူးကြီးတဦးလည်း ပါသေး၏။ ဗိုလ်လောင်းများနှင့် ဘောလုံးကစားချင်ကြောင်း ပြောသောအခါ ချက်ချင်း ဗိုလ်လောင်းများ၏ ကိုယ်ကာယ လေ့ကျင့်ချိန် PT Time ကို ဖျက်ပြီး မင်းအောင်လှိုင်က ဘောလုံးပွဲ စီစဉ်ပေးသည်။ ဖိုးလပြည့်ကို ဖိနပ်စီးမပေးရုံတမယ်နှင့် 'သား၊ အဆင်ပြေရဲ့လား' ချည်း ပြောနေသည့် DSA ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီး မင်းအောင်လှိုင်သည် ဘောလုံးပွဲ စီစဉ်ပေးရသည့် နည်းပြအရာရှိများဘက် မျက်နှာလှည့်သည့်အခါ အခါတရာမက ငေါက်ငန်းနေခဲ့ပေသည်။ တပ်မတော်ကြီးဆိုတာ သည်လိုပါလားဟု ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီး မင်းအောင်လှိုင်ကို ကြည့်ကာ အတော်တရားရခဲ့မိပါသည်။ စစ်တက္ကသိုလ်၏ ၁၉ ယောက်မြောက် ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီးဖြစ်လာသည့် DSA ဗိုလ်လောင်းသင်တန်း အမှတ်စဉ် ၁၉ ဆင်းဖြစ်သဖြင့် မင်းအောင်လှိုင်သည် ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီးဘဝကတည်းက မာန်မာနအပြည့်နှင့် ဖြစ်သည်။[Min Aung Hlaing was the 19th rector of DSA as well as a graduate from DSA 19th intake. At the time he was a DSA rector, an 8 years old Phoe La Pyae, grandson of Than Shwe, visited the academy alongside a Colonel as if personal bodyguard. After Phoe La Pyae's request that he wanted to play Football, he dismissed all the Officer Cadets from the PT Time and mad a Football match at which he was constantly asking Phoe La Pyae "Son, are you ok?" despite the fact he was always scolding and yelling at the officers at the match whether they did anything wrong or not.]
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Tatmadaw 
Myanmar Army 
Senior General 
