Myanmar's head of state, Min Aung Hlaing, has issued a series of emergency ordinances that place 60 townships under temporary military administration, according to notifications published in state media. The measures establish a 90-day emergency period intended, in official language, to "end armed terrorism" and to restore "the rule of law."
The ordinances target townships across a group of states and regions that have experienced prolonged unrest. The areas named include Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Shan and Rakhine States, as well as the Saging, Magway and Mandalay regions. Many of these locations were already subject to restrictions and curfews imposed after the 2021 coup.
A separate notification, carried in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, transfers all executive and judicial authority in the designated townships to Ye Win Oo, who has been named the country's new military chief for the 90-day emergency period.
Officials framed the ordinances as a security measure aimed at areas still mired in conflict despite a formal transition to a civilian-led administration. The notifications present the emergency period as a legal mechanism to confront armed resistance and to re-establish public order.
The declarations represent the first significant step by Min Aung Hlaing to consolidate control over territories described as war-ravaged since he assumed the presidency in early April. His rise to the presidency followed an election won by a military-backed party that has drawn widespread criticism for its conduct.
Myanmar has been engulfed in conflict since the military removed an elected government in 2021. That takeover ousted the administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi and produced mass protests that evolved into a nationwide armed resistance movement. Following the 2021 takeover, the junta declared a state of emergency across the country and extended it multiple times before holding elections in December and January which critics said were neither free nor fair.
The new emergency ordinances make explicit the transfer of powers and extend direct military authority over local governance and judicial matters in the affected townships for the specified 90-day window. The notifications reiterate the government's stated objective of suppressing armed groups and attempting to restore formal legal order in those areas.
Clear summary - Emergency decrees place 60 townships across multiple states and regions under military control for 90 days, shifting executive and judicial powers to military chief Ye Win Oo. Officials cite the goal of ending armed terrorism and restoring the rule of law; the move follows prolonged unrest since the 2021 coup and a contentious election earlier this year.