Myanmar state of emergency: who is the military head now in charge?

Senior civilian political figures have been detained and the armed forces are in control

Myanmar nationals in Japan demonstrate against the military coup that took place in their home country on Monday, February 1, 2021. Getty Images

A Myanmar national in Japan holds up a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest held in front of the United Nations University in Tokyo. EPA

People hold up images of Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a protest outside Maynmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Getty Images

NLD supporters shout slogans outside Myanmar's embassy during a rally after the military seized power from a democratically elected civilian government and arrested its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters

People use their smartphones to live stream a protest outside Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Getty Images

This screengrab provided via AFPTV and taken from a broadcast by Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) in Myanmar shows the announcement of a one-year state of emergency in the country. AFP

A screen grab from Myanmar state television footage shows Myanmar Acting President Myint Swe (R) and General Min Aung Hlaing (L) as they attend a meeting. Reuters

A military helicopter flies in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. EPA

Cars pass police sitting in trucks along a road in Yangon, as Myanmar's military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup. AFP

Policemen sit inside trucks parked on a road in the downtown area of Yangon, Myanmar. AP

Myanmar military supporters riding a vehicle wave a military flag as they go around Yangon, Myanmar. AP

People wave flags as they ride on a vehicle in Yangon, Myanmar. Reuters

A view of Shwedagon Pagoda, a Buddhist religious landmark in Yangon, as Myanmar's military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup. AFP

Myanmar soldiers are seen inside City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar. Reuters

A woman leaves her house while being escorted by soldiers (unseen) at an unidentified location in Myanmar, in this picture obtained from social media. Reuters

A demonstrator prepares to throw a rock towards riot police during a protest outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok, Thailand. Andre Malerba/Bloomberg

A Thai pro-democracy protestor confronts riot police in Bangkok, in the area where Myanmar migrants were demonstrating after Myanmar's military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup. AFP

A group of Myanmar activists hold the portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the United Nation university in Tokyo following a military coup in the country by a general after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials. AFP

Anti-Thai government protester wields a traffic cone at riot police during a clash at a rally for Myanmar's democracy outside the embassy, in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters

Myanmar's powerful military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, is in the spotlight after politicians from the ruling National League for Democracy party were detained and the army announced it was taking power.

Myanmar's military is notoriously reclusive and even seasoned  observers know little about its inner workings.

Here are some key details about its leader and the army's enduring role in the political system:

Military's role in politics:

The military ruled directly for nearly 50 years after a 1962 coup and had long seen itself as the guardian of national unity.

As the architect of Myanmar's 2008 constitution, the military enshrined a permanent role for itself in the political system. It gets an unelected quota of 25 per cent of parliamentary seats and its chief appoints ministers of defence, interior and border affairs, ensuring a key stake in politics. This has made for an awkward power-sharing arrangement with the NLD.

Many members of the party, including NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for years suffered persecution for opposing the former junta.

Slow and steady rise:

Gen Min Aung Hlaing, 64, steered clear of the political activism that was widespread at the time when he studied law at Yangon University from 1972 to1974.

"He was a man of few words and normally kept a low profile," one classmate said in 2016.

While fellow students joined demonstrations, Gen Min Aung Hlaing made annual applications to join the premier military university, the Defence Services Academy, succeeding on his third attempt in 1974.

According to a member of his DSA class, who still sees the army chief at annual class reunions, he was an average cadet.

"He was promoted regularly and slowly," said the classmate, adding that he had been surprised to see Gen Min Aung Hlaing rise beyond the officer corps' middle ranks.

From soldier to politician:

Gen Min Aung Hlaing took over the running of the military in 2011, as a transition to democracy began.

Diplomats in Yangon, the capital of the country until 2006, said that by the onset of Ms Suu Kyi's first term in 2016, Gen Min Aung Hlaing had transformed himself from taciturn soldier into a politician and public figure.

Observers noted his use of Facebook to publicise activities and meetings with dignitaries and visits to monasteries.

His official profile attracted hundreds of thousands of followers before being taken down in the wake of the army's offensive against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing studied other political transitions, diplomats and observers have said , and has made much of the need to avoid the chaos seen in Libya and other Middle Eastern countries after regime change in 2011.

The commander-in-chief has never shown any sign he was prepared to give up the military's 25 per cent of seats in parliament, nor of allowing any change to the clause in the constitution that bars Ms Suu Kyi from becoming president.

The recent complaints by the army of irregularities in voter lists for a November 8 general election – which, as expected, delivered another sweeping victory to Ms Suu Kyi's party – have been accompanied by cryptic comments about abolishing the charter.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing extended his term at the helm of the military for another five years in February 2016, a step that surprised observers who expected him to step aside that year during a regular army leadership reshuffle.

Sanctions:

A 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.

UN investigators have said Myanmar's military operation included mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson and was executed with "genocidal intent".

In response, the US imposed sanctions on Gen Min Aung Hlaing and three other military leaders in 2019 and several court cases in various international courts, including the International Court of Justice, are ongoing.

Also in 2019, UN investigators urged world leaders to impose targeted financial sanctions on companies linked to the military.