According to military sources in Naypyidaw, Min Aung Hlaing, the military council leader who has been responsible for violence against young people in Myanmar, is scheduled to attend a youth forum in Yangon from August 30 to September 1. The forum, titled ‘Myanmar Future Pages Youth Strategy Forum – 2025,’ will be held at the MCC Center on Min Dhamma Road in Yangon. This event comes at a time when the military council continues its campaign of violence and forced military service against the country’s youth.
The forum is being jointly organized by the military council’s Ministry of Information, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Yangon Region military-appointed administration, and the Myanmar Image Guiding Group, a military-affiliated lobby organization. Military sources have confirmed that Min Aung Hlaing will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony. The forum appears to be an attempt by the military council to regain influence over the youth population, with plans to include presentations from international academics who maintain connections with the military.
Sources from Naypyidaw have revealed that the forum is designed to culminate in a declaration supporting the military council’s planned election and political roadmap on its final day. However, this initiative comes against the backdrop of ongoing military violence against civilians, particularly young people, including forced conscription and killings. The organization of such a youth forum appears to be an attempt to whitewash the military council’s continued oppression of Myanmar’s youth population, even as it continues to commit human rights violations against them throughout the country.
