Myanmar army chief takes full power

Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the second-largest army in South East Asia, was expected to retire later this year until he staged a coup against Myanmar’s democratically elected government


1956: Min Aung Hlaing born in Dawei, formerly Tavoy. Studies law at Yangon University from 1972-74

1974: Enters Defence Services Academy – on third attempt

2008: Placed in charge of operations on eastern border

2009: Campaign against armed rebels drives 37,000 ethnic minority refugees from Shan state and Kokang region into China

2010: Becomes joint chief of staff despite allegations of murder, rape and arson against his troops

2011: Succeeds long-time leader Than Shwe as commander-in-chief as transition to democracy begins

2016: Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) wins power in election.
Min Aung Hlaing resists subsequent attempts by NLD to amend constitution to limit military power

2017: Army crackdown in Rakhine state drives more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh – UN investigatorssay offensive included mass killings, gang rapes and arson and was executed with “genocidal intent”

2019: U.S. imposes sanctions on Min Aung Hlaing and three other military leaders

Nov 2020: NLD wins landslide election victory but military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) disputes results

Jan 27: Min Aung Hlaing warns that “the constitution shall be abolished, if not followed”

Feb 1: Military detains State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other NLD leaders, and declares one-year state of emergency


BANGLADESH
Rakhine state
Bay of Bengal
INDIA
MYANMAR 
Naypyidaw
Yangon
Dawei
Andaman Sea
CHINA
Kokang region
Shan state
LAOS
THAILAND
400km 250 miles


Sources: Reuters, BBC 
Picture: Getty Images 
© GRAPHIC NEWS