7 January
INT Cambodian PM Hun Sen visited Myanmar. By meeting with MAH he became the 1st foreign leader to meet the junta leadership since the coup.
17 January
INT Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Naypyitaw, where he signed a contract for the sale of Russian Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile systems, Orlan-10E reconnaissance drones, and radar equipment.
21 January
ECN The oil giants Total and Chevron decided to withdraw from Myanmar.
31 January
POL MAH obtained a 6-month extension on the state of emergency from the National Defence and Security Council (made up of top military chiefs and cooperative politicians). He did so again in July.
1 February
CDM One year since the coup: The junta killed over 1 500 people and detained 11 000. Myanmar people marked the 1st coup anniversary with a silent strike. Also, pro-military demonstrations were held in an effort to counter the silent strike.
INT The US, UK, and Canada imposed new sanctions.
16 February
INT The 2-day ASEAN foreign ministers’ summit hosted by Cambodia took place without Myanmar representatives (the bloc invited a “non-political representative”). Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia's foreign minister, has been confirmed as the new ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar.
21 February
INT The EU announced a new (4th) round of sanction, targeting 22 persons and 4 entities (Htoo Group, International Group of Enterpreneurs, Mining Enterprise 1, and MOGE).
26 February
VIO The junta detained 80 preschool children (all under the age of 12) at a school in Chin Pone village in Sagaing Region and held them as human shields after a raid.
10 March
VIO 10 children were killed by junta forces in less than a week, bringing the number of children killed since last year’s coup to around 120.
11 March
POL The junta confirmed the switch to a proportional representation system for the 2023 general election (endorsed by MAH on 31 January).
25 March
INT The US, Canada, and Britain imposed sanctions on arms dealers and companies involved in procuring weapons for the junta. Here is the sanction list.
7 April
INT The US House of Representatives passed the BURMA Act of 2021 (H.R. 5497).
15 May
INT The junta started issuing tourist visas again (after 2 years of suspension).
23 May
POL The country’s major EAOs rejected the junta’s recent offer of peace talks as neither genuine nor all-inclusive.
3 June
POL VIO The regime approved orders to carry out the death sentences of 4 people, including Ko Jimmy, democracy activist, and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, former NLD lawmaker. The executions were carried out on 25 July, the bodies cremated the same day and the ashes not returned to the families.
16 June
INT The UK imposed new sanctions on organizations responsible for supplying aircraft parts to the Myanmar military (Russian companies and 3 local entities).
3 July
INT MAH and his military leaders have been prosecuted in Argentina and Turkey. In September, a legal petition has been filed also in Indonesia to open a case against the junta.
5 July
INT VIO India’s Manipur temporarily closed the country’s border with Myanmar after 2 Indian nationals were killed in Sagaing Region. This was the 1st time foreigners were killed since the coup.
10 July
INT MAH held meetings in Russia with Rosatom (and signed an MoU), Roscosmos, Tatneft oil company, and the Ministry of Defence. 3 weeks later, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met in Myanmar with MAH, marking one of the highest-level visits by a foreign official since the coup.
1 August
VIO The military held 60 children hostage following a raid on a village in Sagaing Region.
15 August
INT UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer met with MAH in her 1st visit to Myanmar to “communicate in person the pragmatic steps to de-escalate the violence”. Following the meeting, 864 CSOs demand the withdrawal of the envoy’s mandate.
19 August
ECN The kyat’s value dropped to a record low since the coup – the real cost of $1 rose to K3,100, way above the junta’s reference rate. The kyat’s depreciation sent fuel prices up.
25 August
INT The UK sanctioned 3 Tatmadaw-linked businesses, including companies owned by MAH's son and daughter.
4 September
INT MAH attended the Eastern Economic Forum in his 3rd trip to Russia, and held talks with Vladimir Putin. With Rosatom, a roadmap for further atomic energy cooperation has been signed.
1 November
INT EXM The Committee to Protect Journalists added Myanmar to its annual Global Impunity Index, ranking Myanmar among the leading jailers of media workers globally. Myanmar ranked as 176th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2022 World Press Freedom Index.
6 November
INT The US imposed sanctions on a 3 Myanmar individuals and 1 entity engaging in procuring Russian-made weapons from Belarus.
8 November
INT The 5th package of EU sanctions targeted the SAC and 19 Myanmar individuals. (Sanctions currently apply to a total of 84 individuals and 11 entities.)
17 November
POL INT 6 000 prisoners across the country have been released, incl. former British Ambassador Vicky Bowman, Australian economic adviser Sean Turnell, Japanese journalist Toru Kubota, and American-Myanmar botanist Kyaw Htay Oo, and varopus journalists and celebrities, as part of a National Day (17 November) pardon. Some have, however, been rearrested.
16 December
INT The US Senate passed the Burma Act, broadening the government’s authority to impose sanctions and aid resistance groups (it does not include arms).
22 December
INT The UN Security Council adopted its 1st resolution on Myanmar in 74 years, demanding an end to violence and for the junta to free all political detainees.