Military council leader Min Aung Hlaing’s recent press conference remarks in Belarus have drawn criticism for conflating unrelated concepts of economic sanctions and computer software. During the March 7 press conference, Min Aung Hlaing made puzzling statements suggesting that economic sanctions would somehow lead to increased consolidation and competition among computer software, demonstrating what critics say is a fundamental misunderstanding of both concepts.
U Toe Zaw Latt, Secretary of the Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM), analyzed that Min Aung Hlaing appears to have confused the meaning of economic sanctions with computer software, making statements that show a lack of understanding of basic English terminology. He pointed out that there is absolutely no connection between economic sanctions and computer software, yet Min Aung Hlaing attempted to link these completely unrelated concepts in his remarks, resulting in statements that made no logical sense.
A veteran domestic journalist also noted that Min Aung Hlaing’s confused statements were published in both Myanmar and English language newspapers controlled by the military council. The journalist drew parallels to former leader Thein Sein’s past misuse of the term ‘National Convention’ when referring to the 2008 Constitution, suggesting this reflects a pattern of military leaders misunderstanding and misusing English terminology. The combination of sanctions and software in Min Aung Hlaing’s statement was described as meaningless and revealing his poor grasp of the English language.
Min Aung Hlaing’s linguistic limitations were further evident in his meetings with Russian leader Putin and the Belarus President, where he was unable to communicate in English and relied entirely on interpreters while speaking Myanmar language. Additionally, during his March 4 meeting with Putin, he presented a book making historically unsubstantiated claims about Putin being a ‘prophesied rat king.’ These incidents, combining poor English language skills with the use of unverified historical references, demonstrate significant weaknesses in Min Aung Hlaing’s international diplomatic engagements and understanding of global affairs.
