{"id":10145,"date":"2026-09-24T21:21:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=10145"},"modified":"2026-09-24T21:21:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:51:06","slug":"the-fallout-from-time-magazines-interview-with-myanmars-coup-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2026\/09\/the-fallout-from-time-magazines-interview-with-myanmars-coup-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fallout From TIME Magazine\u2019s Interview With Myanmar\u2019s Coup Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from<\/em> September 23<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(MoeMaKa), September 24, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fallout From TIME Magazine\u2019s Interview With Myanmar\u2019s Coup Leader<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the military leader assumed the presidency, TIME magazine sent a letter dated in late April to the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore requesting an interview. Military leader Min Aung Hlaing subsequently agreed to meet with Charlie Campbell, TIME\u2019s Asia bureau chief, and the interview appears to have taken place recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview was conducted in Naypyidaw. Drawing on Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s responses and TIME\u2019s exclusive access to the Myanmar leader, the magazine published an article on September 23 under the headline, \u201cMyanmar\u2019s Dictator Wants to Rebuild Ties With the West.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the very same day the article appeared, Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s government issued a statement condemning TIME and its journalist\u2014although TIME identifies Campbell as an editor\u2014for what it described as conduct inconsistent with journalistic ethics. The military authorities\u2019 choice to refer to him simply as a journalist could also be seen as an attempt to diminish his professional standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time the military has objected to the way a foreign news organization reported an interview after granting it access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2019, the Yangon bureau chief of Japan\u2019s Asahi Shimbun interviewed Min Aung Hlaing, who was then commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The military subsequently filed a complaint alleging that the newspaper had violated an agreement to show the interview to the military for approval before publication. Because Asahi Shimbun maintained a bureau in Yangon, the complaint was taken to Myanmar\u2019s domestic media council. With its local operations potentially at risk, the news organization ultimately made concessions in resolving the dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME, by contrast, has neither a locally based bureau nor a resident correspondent in Myanmar. That may explain why the military authorities instead responded directly with a public condemnation. Along with their statement, they released the full video recording of the interview, effectively making Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s arguments and political messaging available to the public in their entirety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME\u2019s headline explicitly described Min Aung Hlaing as a \u201cdictator.\u201d The article also drew on numerous other sources to portray him as an authoritarian ruler seeking improved relations with Western countries. In addition, wording describing him as Myanmar\u2019s military leader who \u201ccalls himself President\u201d appears to have particularly angered Min Aung Hlaing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching the full interview video released by the Myanmar military, one can see that rather than responding directly to many of the questions, Min Aung Hlaing often delivered lengthy explanations, arguments, and familiar narratives that he has repeatedly used in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his part, the journalist generally did not interrupt with follow-up challenges or strongly adversarial questions. After Min Aung Hlaing finished each response, Campbell largely proceeded to the next question he had prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the interview, Min Aung Hlaing may well have been satisfied that he had faced relatively few challenging follow-ups or difficult counterquestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When TIME\u2019s article was eventually published, however, it presented him as a dictator and as a leader with a deeply controversial international reputation. This appears to have been what angered Min Aung Hlaing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar news organizations, meanwhile, have watched the interview video released by the military and focused particularly on Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s remarks concerning Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about the possibility of granting her a pardon, he said that it depended on her. He added that circumstances could change if developments emerged that gave his side reason to reconsider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In effect, his remarks suggested that, as long as Aung San Suu Kyi maintains her current position, a pardon would not be forthcoming. His phrase, \u201cif circumstances arise that give us reason to reconsider,\u201d also raises the question of whether he was referring to statements or positions concerning the National Unity Government (NUG) and the People\u2019s Defence Forces (PDFs) that would benefit the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Aung Hlaing also addressed relations with Western countries. In particular, he called for what he described as a fair reassessment of U.S. sanctions. He also said Myanmar would not adopt American-style or European-style democracy, but would instead work toward a democratic system compatible with the country\u2019s own culture, traditions, and customs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the interview as a whole, TIME\u2019s editor spent roughly half an hour questioning Min Aung Hlaing, yet only a relatively small portion of his responses was incorporated into the eventual article. Instead, the published piece largely framed him through the image of an authoritarian ruler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Min Aung Hlaing, the resulting frustration appears to have stemmed from the fact that the article did not give prominence to the messages and narratives he had apparently hoped the interview would convey.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from September 23 (MoeMaKa), September 24, 2026 The Fallout From TIME Magazine\u2019s Interview With Myanmar\u2019s Coup Leader After the military leader assumed the presidency, TIME magazine sent a letter dated in late April to the…<\/p>\n

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