Military council leader Min Aung Hlaing’s recent press conference remarks in Belarus have drawn criticism from media experts for conflating unrelated concepts of economic sanctions and computer software. During the March 7 press conference, Min Aung Hlaing made puzzling statements suggesting that when faced with sanctions, attacked software would gain more collective strength and intensify competition – a connection that experts say demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both concepts.
U Toe Zaw Latt, Secretary of the Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM), pointed out that Min Aung Hlaing appears to have confused the meaning of economic sanctions with computer software, noting that these two concepts have absolutely no relationship to each other. While the military council’s own Myanmar and English language newspapers reported Min Aung Hlaing’s statements, analysts say his remarks were essentially meaningless due to this apparent confusion. The IPCM Secretary emphasized that sanctions and software are entirely separate matters, suggesting that Min Aung Hlaing may have mistakenly believed sanctions were some type of computer program.
A veteran journalist also drew parallels to previous instances of military leaders misusing English terms, recalling how former leader Thein Sein had incorrectly referred to the 2008 Constitution. The journalist noted that Min Aung Hlaing’s attempt to connect sanctions and software revealed a similar lack of understanding of English terminology. This language barrier was further evidenced during Min Aung Hlaing’s meetings with Russian President Putin and the Belarus President, where he relied entirely on interpreters, being unable to communicate directly in English. The journalist also pointed out that during his March 4 meeting with Putin, Min Aung Hlaing presented a book making historically unsubstantiated claims about Putin being mentioned in Buddhist prophecies, further demonstrating a pattern of making unfounded connections.
