15 May 2026 By Foe Aww Yaw
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar — The newly appointed speaker of Myanmar’s military-installed parliament has announced plans to review and potentially reinstate a series of oppressive laws that had been abolished by the ousted civilian government.
Khin Yi, the former military general who assumed the role of lower house speaker following the junta’s widely condemned elections, made the remarks during a meeting with regional representatives in Magway Region on Friday morning. He argued that the new legislature needed to “amend and enact laws” to safeguard the state, signaling a return to pre-reform authoritarian legal structures.
During its tenure, the National League for Democracy (NLD) government systematically dismantled several colonial-era and military-dictated laws that had long been used to crush political dissent. Among these were the notorious 1950 Emergency Provisions Act, mandatory overnight guest registration laws, and the 1975 State Protection Act—statutes that allowed authorities to arbitrarily detain activists and politicians without trial.
Khin Yi defended the move by claiming the current parliament possesses a democratic mandate, asserting it was formed by voters who cast ballots “despite immense difficulties.”
However, independent observers and legal experts have dismissed his claims as a transparent attempt to legitimize the military’s grip on power. “The regime is using this puppet parliament as a propaganda tool to project an image of administrative normalcy,” a political analyst told MPA. “To say this legislature represents the will of the people is a complete fabrication.”
A senior legal expert warned that Khin Yi’s speech lays the groundwork for the formal re-institutionalization of a police state. “They are looking for a legal veneer to justify ongoing human rights abuses,” the expert stated. “By manipulating the legislative pillar, the junta aims to codify stricter surveillance and tighter civilian control mechanisms under the guise of parliamentary procedure.”
While Khin Yi urged lawmakers to focus on a “100-day regional development plan” and to open constituency offices to remain close to the public, civil society groups argue these initiatives are merely a smokescreen.
In practice, many of the laws abolished by the NLD have already been enforced through executive decrees since the 2021 military coup. Legal analysts suggest that bringing these measures before the newly formed parliament is aimed at providing them with formal statutory permanence, making it even harder for future democratic movements to legally challenge the regime’s authority.
As the junta struggles to maintain territorial control on the ground, its latest legislative maneuvers indicate that the courtroom and the parliament floor remain central battlefields in its campaign to silence the population and consolidate its authoritarian rule.
