The President Under Surveillance and the Missing State Counsellor
On Myanmar New Year’s Day (17 April 2026), junta leader Senior General (Ret.) Min Aung Hlaing released President U Win Myint, who had been detained since 1 February 2021 without substantive legal grounds. However, since 18 April, the junta has maintained intensive security surveillance on the Nay Pyi Taw residence where President U Win Myint and his family are housed. Consequently, the status of President U Win Myint, released by order of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who claimed the presidency through a fraudulent election, is best described as “released but not free.”
While resistance forces and the international community, including the U.S., Canada, the EU, and the UN, welcomed the president’s release, they continue to demand the unconditional release of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners.
Simultaneously, the wellbeing and whereabouts of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain a source of deep concern for her son and the wider resistance movement, as she has not been seen in public since the coup. These concerns have sparked campaigns demanding ‘proof of life’ for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. On 30 April 2026, the junta announced that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been moved to a designated residence to serve her remaining sentence.
China and Thailand Move to Formalize Relations with Junta
The governments of China and Thailand have initiated formal engagement with the junta leader following his fraudulent assumption of the presidency. This transition, widely dismissed as a sham, has yet to be recognized as legitimate by the Myanmar public or the broader international community.
On 22 April 2026, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow met with coup leader Senior General (Ret.) Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw. He expressed Thailand’s readiness to take a lead role in implementing ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus to facilitate deeper engagement. Nevertheless, the Foreign Minister emphasized that the military leadership must still address ASEAN’s core concerns.
Simultaneously, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a five-day regional tour (22–26 April) covering Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. After stops in Cambodia and Thailand, Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Nay Pyi Taw on 25 April for a meeting with the junta chief. Alongside Russia and Belarus, China remains one of the few governments to have formally recognized the junta chief’s claim to the presidency.
1.Junta tightens security for President U Win Myint; Dr. Myo Nyunt, who went to meet him, summoned for questioning, Mizzima, 22 Apr 2026