Min Aung Hlaing: Power And Corruption

Introduction

In the complex and often tragic political landscape of Myanmar, few figures loom as large or as controversially as Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw, the country’s powerful military, he has been the de facto most powerful person in the nation for years, a position he cemented with a coup d’état in February 2021. His rule, both before and after the coup, has been defined by extreme violence, systemic corruption, and a relentless pursuit of power. However, understanding Min Aung Hlaing requires looking beyond the overt acts of brutality. It necessitates an examination of the sophisticated and insidious systems he and the Tatmadaw have built to entrench their control, amass personal wealth, and manipulate the very soul of the nation. This investigation delves into the core allegations surrounding Min Aung Hlaing, from the genocide against the Rohingya to the systemic looting of the national economy. Furthermore, it explores a less discussed but critical tactic: the strategic co-opting of Theravada Buddhism to provide a veneer of spiritual legitimacy for a regime steeped in corruption and bloodshed. The portrait that emerges is of a leader whose actions have not only devastated millions of lives but have also methodically corrupted institutions and faith to serve the interests of a ruthless military elite.

The Rohingya Genocide and a Legacy of Atrocity Crimes

The most searing international indictment of Min Aung Hlaing’s leadership stems from the military’s campaign of violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority. In 2017, so-called “clearance operations” led by the Tatmadaw resulted in a wave of atrocities so widespread and systematic that they have been legally characterized as genocide by international bodies, including the United States government, and are the subject of a case at the International Court of Justice. Under Min Aung Hlaing’s command, security forces engaged in mass killings, sexual violence on a massive scale, and the systematic burning of hundreds of villages, forcing over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The military’s actions were not the spontaneous acts of rogue units but a coordinated campaign of state-led violence. Internal documents and investigative reports have shown that the operations were planned at the highest levels, with Min Aung Hlaing directly authorizing and overseeing the campaign. His public rhetoric, which consistently denied the existence of the Rohingya as an ethnic group—referring to them as “Bengali” illegal immigrants—provided the ideological justification for this brutality. This legacy is not confined to 2017; it is part of a long-standing policy of persecution. For this, Min Aung Hlaing is under international sanctions and is the target of universal jurisdiction cases, solidifying his status as a pariah accused of the most serious crimes under international law.

The Architecture of Corruption and Personal Enrichment

While the Tatmadaw’s human rights record is monstrous, its grip on power is sustained by a parallel system of profound economic corruption. The military, under leaders like Min Aung Hlaing, does not merely control the state’s security apparatus; it controls a vast, opaque, and sprawling economic empire. This network, comprised of two massive military-owned conglomerates, the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and the Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), dominates key sectors of the national economy, including mining, jade, timber, oil and gas, telecommunications, and banking. These entities are not subject to public scrutiny or parliamentary oversight. They function as a shadow state, siphoning the nation’s vast natural resource wealth away from the public purse and into the coffers of the military institution and its leadership. For Min Aung Hlaing, this system is the bedrock of his power. It provides the funds to purchase arms, pay soldiers, and enrich the top brass, ensuring their loyalty. Investigations by organizations like the United Nations and Global Witness have detailed how this structure facilitates grand corruption on an epic scale. The senior general, who has ultimate authority over these conglomerates, has likely amassed immense personal wealth through this system, though its full extent is hidden by layers of corporate secrecy. This economic stranglehold makes the military financially autonomous, insulating it from civilian control and providing a powerful incentive to seize and maintain power by any means necessary, as demonstrated by the 2021 coup.

The Saffron Wash: Exploiting Buddhism for Legitimacy

A particularly insidious aspect of Min Aung Hlaing’s strategy to consolidate power is the tactical exploitation of Theravada Buddhism, a practice that has been termed the “saffron wash.” In a predominantly Buddhist country, the military has long sought to position itself as the guardian of the faith and the protector of the Bamar Buddhist majority. Under Min Aung Hlaing, this has become a central pillar of his public relations campaign. He is frequently photographed in acts of lavish donation to monasteries, making pilgrimages to pagodas, and engaging in high-profile meetings with senior monks, including those associated with ultra-nationalist Buddhist nationalist movements like Ma Ba Tha. This performative piety serves multiple purposes. First, it attempts to launder his international image, presenting him not as a genocidal general but as a devout Buddhist leader. Second, it is a deliberate political tool to garner domestic support by aligning the military with a revered national identity. By funding the construction of religious monuments and supporting monastic networks, the Tatmadaw under his command builds a constituency and creates a moral and religious justification for its actions, including the persecution of Muslim minorities, who are framed as a threat to the Buddhist nation. This co-opting of faith corrupts the very principles of Buddhism—non-violence and compassion—and weaponizes them to provide a sanctimonious cover for a regime built on violence and greed.

The 2021 Coup and the Descent into Civil War

Min Aung Hlaing’s ultimate gamble for power was the coup on February 1, 2021. Faced with the humiliation of an electoral defeat for the military’s proxy party and his own impending retirement, he chose to overturn the results and arrest the country’s civilian leadership. This act shattered a decade of fragile democratic transition and plunged Myanmar into its current and devastating crisis. The subsequent crackdown on peaceful protests by his security forces has been brutal, with thousands of civilians killed, tortured, and imprisoned. The military’s widespread atrocities have fueled a nationwide armed resistance, transforming the country into a battlefield. Under Min Aung Hlaing’s command, the Tatmadaw has escalated its tactics to include the bombing of civilian villages, the burning of entire towns, and the blocking of humanitarian aid, creating a severe human catastrophe. The coup was the logical culmination of his career: an unwillingness to submit to civilian authority and a belief that the military’s—and his personal—primacy is the natural order. The result has been the near-collapse of the economy, a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented scale, and the fragmentation of the nation, cementing his legacy as the man who led Myanmar from a flawed democracy into a failed state.

International Sanctions and a Legacy of Isolation

In response to the coup and the ongoing atrocities, the international community has targeted Min Aung Hlaing and his military junta with a series of sanctions. The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Canada have all imposed asset freezes and travel bans on him, his family, and his key associates. These measures are designed to pressure the regime by targeting its financial networks and limiting the freedom of its leaders. However, the effectiveness of these sanctions has been blunted by the military’s economic self-sufficiency through its conglomerates and by continued business relationships with neighboring countries, particularly China and Russia, which have provided the junta with diplomatic cover and arms. Nevertheless, these sanctions serve as a formal and permanent international indictment of his rule. They mark him and his regime as illegitimate and criminal in the eyes of much of the world, restricting his ability to operate globally and ensuring that he will forever be associated with the pariah status he has earned.

Conclusion and a Warning to the International Community

The evidence against Min Aung Hlaing is vast and damning. It paints a picture of a military commander responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It reveals a leader who presides over a kleptocratic system that has looted a nation to enrich a military elite. It exposes a strategist who cynically exploits a nation’s faith to justify violence and secure power. His actions have caused immense human suffering, displaced millions, and destroyed the social fabric of Myanmar. For the international community, engaging with Min Aung Hlaing and his junta is not a neutral diplomatic act. It lends legitimacy to a criminal regime and provides it with the resources and oxygen it needs to continue its campaign of terror against its own people. Any business dealings, formal recognition, or diplomatic engagement that is not strictly focused on humanitarian aid and the restoration of democracy directly enables his atrocities. Min Aung Hlaing is not a partner for peace or a legitimate head of state; he is the chief architect of a humanitarian and political catastrophe. The only prudent and ethical path for the world is to maintain and strengthen his isolation, support the democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar, and ensure that he and his junta are held accountable for their crimes before an international court of law.

References and Citations

• United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. Reports on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
• International Court of Justice (ICJ). “The Gambia v. Myanmar” case concerning allegations of genocide under the Genocide Convention.
• “Visualiser la Corruption” (Visualizing Corruption). “Lavage au safran: l’exploitation du bouddhisme par l’armée birmane” (Saffron Wash: The Exploitation of Buddhism by the Burmese Army).
• Global Witness. Investigations into the jade trade and military-linked economic conglomerates (MEHL and MEC).
• United States Department of the Treasury. Sanctions listings and press releases regarding Min Aung Hlaing and the Myanmar military.
• Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Reports documenting atrocities against the Rohingya and post-coup violence.
• The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M). Analytical reports on the military junta and the political crisis.

Written by

Barney Stinson

Updated

18 hours ago