{"id":7115,"date":"2025-08-02T22:50:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T16:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=7115"},"modified":"2025-08-02T22:50:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T16:20:53","slug":"63-townships-placed-under-martial-law-suspension-of-three-sections-of-the-safeguarding-personal-freedoms-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/08\/63-townships-placed-under-martial-law-suspension-of-three-sections-of-the-safeguarding-personal-freedoms-law\/","title":{"rendered":"63 Townships Placed Under Martial Law; Suspension of Three Sections of the \u201cSafeguarding Personal Freedoms\u201d Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 1 Perspective<\/strong>
(MoeMaKa, August 2, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

63 Townships Placed Under Martial Law; Suspension of Three Sections of the \u201cSafeguarding Personal Freedoms\u201d Law<\/h3>\n

Under the directive of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military junta now rebranded as the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC)<\/strong>, 63 townships across Myanmar were declared under martial law<\/strong>. Simultaneously, the junta announced the suspension of three sections<\/strong> of the Law on Safeguarding the Freedom and Security of Citizens<\/strong>, commonly referred to as the \u201cpersonal freedom law.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the 2021 military coup, the State Administration Council (SAC)\u2014formed based on the 2008 Constitution\u2014had already declared martial law in dozens of townships. Now, under the newly rebranded NDSC, a new but nearly identical list of 63 townships<\/strong> has been issued under emergency rule.<\/p>\n

Some townships on this new list overlap with the 2021 list, while others are newly added. For example, six Yangon townships previously under martial law were not included<\/strong> in the new list, while four townships from the Wa Self-Administered Division<\/strong>, which were not previously listed, have now been added.<\/p>\n

Notably, Mongla Township<\/strong>, governed by the NDAA (National Democratic Alliance Army)<\/strong> since the early 1990s under a ceasefire agreement, is now included in the martial law list. This raises questions about whether long-standing arrangements between the military and semi-autonomous armed groups\u2014like the Wa<\/strong> and Mongla<\/strong> authorities\u2014are now shifting.<\/p>\n

Also added is Hopang Township<\/strong>, which was handed over to the United Wa State Army (UWSA)<\/strong> after being seized by the MNDAA during Operation 1027. The inclusion of such townships under martial law, despite decades of self-administration, marks a significant departure from past practice.<\/p>\n

Apart from these areas, the rest of the townships on the list are in territories controlled or contested by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs)<\/strong>, the NUG<\/strong>, or local PDFs<\/strong>. Notably, Hakha Township<\/strong> in Chin State\u2014previously under martial law\u2014has been excluded from this new list.<\/p>\n

Some speculate that martial law was declared in these 63 townships because elections cannot realistically be held there<\/strong>, but this contrasts with a statement from the Union Election Commission<\/strong>, which said elections would be held in 267 of the 330 townships<\/strong>. Subtracting those, the remaining 63 townships<\/strong> may be exactly those where elections are not feasible\u2014and where martial law is now in effect.<\/p>\n

In parallel, the junta\u2019s rebranded NDSC also re-announced the suspension of Sections 5, 7, and 8<\/strong> of the Law on Safeguarding Personal Freedoms. These articles, enacted during the NLD government, guarantee protections such as:<\/p>\n