Key facts
- Myanmar's junta chief and president, Min Aung Hlaing, criticized ASEAN's peace plan.
- Hlaing stated that ASEAN's peace plan has not been effective.
- He outlined his government's national agenda.
- The agenda focuses on infrastructure, energy, and education.
- Hlaing acknowledged a youth exodus impacting economic development.
Myanmar's junta chief and president, Min Aung Hlaing, has voiced criticism regarding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) peace plan for the country, asserting that it has not yielded effective results. Hlaing stated that the plan has not been implemented effectively and that his government's focus remains on its own national agenda. This agenda prioritizes development in key sectors including infrastructure, energy, and education. He further acknowledged a significant challenge facing economic development: a substantial exodus of young people from Myanmar. This brain drain is seen as a direct impediment to the nation's economic progress. Hlaing's statements suggest a continued divergence from ASEAN's proposed pathways to stability and a strong emphasis on the junta-led government's internal priorities and development strategies.