Events in the year 2022 in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Incumbents

Events

Ongoing -

Myanmar civil war (2021–present) The Myanmar civil war (Burmese language, Burmese: မြန်မာ့ပြည်တွင်းစစ်),, also known as the Burmese civil war, is an ongoing civil war since 2021. It began following Myanmar conflict, Myanmar's long-runni ...

January

* 7 January - Intense fighting breaks out in

Loikaw Loikaw (, ) is the largest city and the capital of Kayah State, also known as Karenni State, in Myanmar. It is located in the Karen Hills area, near the State's northern tip, just above an embayment on the Pilu River. The inhabitants are mostly K ...

, the

Kayah State Kayah State (, ), or Karenni State, is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately b ...

Capital between KNDF and junta troops as resistance groups attempt to take the city after one month of blocking junta road access to the entire state. * 10 January- Myanmar military begins bombing

from the air forcing thousands of locals to flee the city and seek shelter in churches. Junta helicopters regain control of roads to other parts of

. * 13 January- Maung Maung Kyaw is removed as the head of the

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force (, ) is the aerial branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanm ...

after international attention and sanctions from a series of aerial bombings. He remains on the junta. * 28 January -

Myanmar civil war Myanmar has been embroiled in armed conflict since 1948, when the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with ethnic armed organisations fighting Myanmar's arm ...

: At least three dozen junta soldiers are reported killed in ambushes over three days in Magwe, Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions and Chin, Shan and Kayah states.

February

* 4 February - Junta troops carries out a sneak attack on an

Arakan Army The Arakan Army (; Abbreviation, abbreviated AA), sometimes referred to as the Arakha Army is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnic-List of insurgent groups in Myanmar, armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded in April 2009, the Ara ...

outpost near

Maungdaw Maungdaw (, ) is a town in Rakhine State, in the western part of Myanmar (Burma). It is the administrative seat of Maungdaw Township and Maungdaw District. Bordering Bangladesh, Maungdaw is home to one of 2 official border trade posts with Bang ...

Rakhine State Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...

* 6 February - A three hour clash between Arakan Army and the Junta starts a breakdown of the informal ceasefire between the AA and the military in place since November 2020. * 8 February - 85 junta soldiers are reportedly killed in attacks over the course of three days by local

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

s in the

Sagaing Sagaing (, ) is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located on the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing, with its numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and ...

and Bago regions the previous day as PDF groups target Pilots in the

. Resistance forces also began targeting the homes of junta pilots in

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

in response to airstrikes on civilians.

March

* 2 March – The Myanmar military junta pardons several celebrities who spoke out against the military coup including Lu Min, Wyne, Pyay Ti Oo, Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Paing Takhon. * 5 March - Around 85 junta soldiers are reportedly killed during two clashes with local

s and Karenni forces in Demoso Township, Kayah State with at least two junta soldiers captured. * 21 March **The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

formally recognizes the

Rohingya genocide The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions and killings of the Islam in Myanmar, Muslim Rohingya people by the Tatmadaw (armed forces of Myanmar). The genocide has consisted of two phases to date: the first was a military crackd ...

committed by the

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...

. **

Karen National Liberation Army The Karen National Liberation Army (; abbreviated KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which campaigns for the self-determination of the Karen people of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The KNLA has been fighting the Burmes ...

(KNLA) storms and occupies a

Tatmadaw The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...

camp in Myawaddy District, Kayin State three miles from the Burmese-Thai border. * 28 March -

Min Aung Hlaing Min Aung Hlaing (born 3 July 1956) is a Burmese army general who has ruled Myanmar as the chairman of the State Administration Council, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) since seizing power in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Fe ...

vows to "annihilate" opposition forces.

April

* 14 April - Fighting breaks out Loikaw City, the capital of

. * 15 April – Karen conflict: An attempt by the Burmese

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

to take control of Lay Kay Kaw, a

Karen National Union The Karen National Union (; abbreviated KNU) is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar. It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar and has un ...

-controlled town, fails resulting in 30 casualties for the Junta. * 17 April –

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

pardons 1,619 prisoners in an annual tradition. However, no

political prisoners A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

were pardoned. * 24 April – It is reported that family members of the ruling military junta in the city of

are seeking refuge in the country's capital

Naypyidaw Naypyidaw (), officially Romanization of Burmese, romanized as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital city, capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's ...

as urban fighting intensifies between

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

and

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

s. * 27 April - Chinland Defense Force fighters from

Matupi Township Matupi Township (; also batupui Township) is a township of Matupi District in the Chin State of Burma (Myanmar).Kyauktaw Kyauktaw ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, in the westernmost part of Myanmar. The famous Mahamuni Buddha image, currently at Amarapura, was originally situated near Kyauktaw, in the ruins of the old city of Dhanyawadi. The town was captur ...

, resulting in the deaths of 8 junta soldiers.

May

* 17 May -

National Unity Government A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other na ...

Defence Minister asks international help to arm resistance groups similar to support given to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. * 24 May – Sixteen people are killed when a boat sinks off the coast of

. * 31 May **A

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

kills one person and injures nine others near the

Sule Pagoda The Sule Pagoda (; ) is a Burmese Buddhist stupa located in the heart of downtown Yangon, occupying the centre of the city and an important space in contemporary Burmese politics, ideology and geography. According to legend, it was built before ...

. State media accuses the People's Defence Force of responsibility, which the PDF denies. **

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

accuses Myanmar's military of

Collective punishment Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group or whole community for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member or some members of that group or area, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends a ...

based on civilian bombings in

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

and

in the between December 2021 and March 2022.

June

* 21 June - Resistance groups reach control of 40-50% of the country. * 22 June – The

orders all legal proceedings against deposed leader

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

to be moved from courtrooms to prison venues without explanation. Aung San Suu Kyi has been under detainment since the February 2021 coup. * 23 June - Ousted State Counsellor

is sent to solitary confinement.

July

* 22 July –

Rohingya genocide case The ''Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar)'', commonly referred to as the Rohingya genocide case, is a case which is currently being heard by the International Court of ...

: The

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

rejects the Myanmar military junta's challenge of the case against the country for its role in the

. * 25 July –

announces that it has

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

four prisoners on charges of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

, including Zayar Thaw, a former lawmaker under ousted leader

, and Kyaw Min Yu.

August

* 1 August -

extends

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

until August 2023 invoking the extension clause in the order given on 1 August 2021. * 15 August –

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

: The

court sentences former state counsellor

to six years in prison for

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

. * 16 August - Two mortar shells fired from

landed in a

Rohingya The Rohingya people (; ; ) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who predominantly follow Islam from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Ro ...

refugee camp in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, killing one man and injuring five others.

helicopters allegedly entered

i air space to attack

and reportedly fired a shell within Bangladeshi air space. * 18 August - Bangladesh summons Myanmar

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Aung Kyaw Moe to protest violation of land and airspace strongly.

September

* 2 September – Deposed leader of

is sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of

election fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

. She will now serve an overall sentence of 20 years in prison for different charges. * 14 September – Fourteen people are killed and 25 others are injured in a three vehicle collision in

Kyaukpadaung Kyaukpadaung ( ) is a town in Mandalay Region in Central Myanmar. It lies just south-west of Mount Popa. It is the administrative seat for Kyaukpadaung Township. History The name of Kyaukpadaung is derived from Kyauk (; Rock) + Pann (; Flower) ...

. * 16 September –

helicopters attack a school in

Sagaing Region Sagaing Region (, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east. It is border ...

, killing six children and injuring 17 people. Military officials say that the school was being used as a base by anti- coup insurgents. * 23 September - Retired Brigadier General Ohn Thwin, mentor to

State Administration Council The State Administration Council (; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, February 2021 c ...

vice-chairman Senior General Soe Win, was assassinated by anti-regime guerilla groups in

October

* 6 October - Japanese filmmaker

Toru Kubota is a Japanese documentary filmmaker. His primary focus is immigrants and refugee issues. He has worked with media companies such as BBC, NHK World and Al Jazeera. In July 2022, he was arrested by the State Administration Council while filming ...

is sentenced to 10 years in jail on sedition charges after being detained in July for documenting anti-government demonstrations and reporting on the Rohingya minority previously. * 21 October ** Junta forces decapitate Saw Tun Moe, a high school teacher, and leave his head impaled on the NUG-administered school's spiked gate after burning and looting Taung Myint village in

Magway Region Magway Region (, ; formerly Magway Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative division in central Myanmar. It is the second largest of Myanmar's seven divisions, with an area of . Pa-de Dam (ပဒဲဆည်) is one of ...

KNLA The Karen National Liberation Army (; abbreviated KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which campaigns for the self-determination of the Karen people of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The KNLA has been fighting the Burmese ...

-led troops siege

Kawkareik Kawkareik (; , ; ), also spelled as Kawkarike, is a town in Karen State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Kawkaraik District and Kawkaraik Township. History The Kawkareik Pass across the Tenasserim Hills is named after this town. The Pass was t ...

. A series of morning attacks near the highway leading into the city and on government offices leads to heavy fighting within the city. * 22 October- Myanmar is added to the

Financial Action Task Force The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), also known by its French name, Groupe d'action financière (GAFI), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering and to ma ...

Graylist for terrorism financing and requires other countries to increase measures to screen transactions with Myanmar * 23 October -

Hpakant massacre On the night of 23 October 2022, the Myanmar Air Force launched a series of airstrikes in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar. The targeted area was within the territory of the Kachin Independence Organization's 9th Brigade in the Ana ...

: Two fighter jets from the

air-strikes a concert in

Hpakant Hpakant (, ; Shan Language: ၽႃၵၢၼ်ႉ, also Hpakan and Phakant) is a town in Hpakant Township, Kachin State in the northernmost part of Myanmar (Burma). It is located on the Uyu River north of Mandalay. It is famous for its jade mi ...

killing 80 civilians, including prominent local singers.

Kachin Independence Army The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: ''Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Hpyen Dap''; ) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins in Northern Myanmar ...

spokespeople say it was a targeted strike against the 62nd anniversary celebration of the founding of the

Kachin Independence Organization The Kachin Independence Organisation (abbreviated KIO; ; Kachin: , "Sovereign Kachin nation state") is a Kachin political organisation in Myanmar (Burma). Founded in 1961, KIO seeks autonomy for Kachin State and operates a de facto parallel ...

. The United Nations issues a statement expressing their sadness. * 25 October - Garment factory workers of Myanmar Pou Chen Co Ltd, a Taiwanese company making OEM shoes for

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

strike demanding a pay raise. Junta soldiers appeared within 10 minutes of the rally bringing seven strike leaders to factory managers. The leaders were later fired for their role in December. * 31 October - Win Myint Hlaing, a former NLD MP for

, is sentenced to 148 years in prison on charges of terror acts undermining the peace and stability of the State.

November

* 9 November - The US and EU announce additional sanctions at officials, companies and arm dealers connected with Myanmar's junta. * 11 November -

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

bars Myanmar from talks as the first day of the ASEAN summit focuses on how to pressure the junta to comply with previously agreed five-point consensus. Indonesia plans to extend the ban on Myanmar's representation, but received pushback from Thailand arguing that it would become a de facto suspension of membership. * 15 November - The junta shells villages in

on the highway between

and

Sittwe Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the cit ...

after a junta truck was hit by an

landmine. Thousands of villagers flee to nearby

Ponnagyun Township Ponnagyun Township (), formally known as Urittaung is a township of Sittwe District in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The principal town is Ponnagyun. There are 94 village groups and about 200 villages in this township. It has an ancient pagoda Uri ...

. * 17 November - Nearly 6000 prisoners are freed in a mass amnesty by the military junta. Free prisoners include a former British envoy Vicky Bowman, Australian economic advisor Sean Turnell and Japanese reporter Toru Kubota. Human Rights groups say the junta is engaging in hostage tactics to negotiate with foreign powers.

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

maintained that they will continue to demand Myanmar take specific actions for the reinstatement of democracy. Myanmar junta denies that it engaged in political bargaining before releasing prisoners. * 24 November - The junta burns Mone-Hla village in

Khin-U Township Khin-U Township is a township in Shwebo District in the Sagaing Division of Burma.

, Sagaing Region including the home of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Charles Maung Bo Charles Maung Bo (, ; born 29 October 1948) is a Burmese Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Yangon since 7 June 2003. He was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015. Early life and education Bo was born on 29 October 1948, in ...

, the head of the Catholic Church in Myanmar. * 25 November - Authorities bulldoze over 10,000

Informal housing Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...

units in Mingaladon Township, Yangon after ordering residents to evacuate leaving over 40,000 homeless. * 30 November - Prominent traditional arts performer Phoe Chit is taken into custody for his role in opposing the military rule.

December

* 15 December - The

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

credentials committee once again defers action on the

's request to represent the country at the UN, defaulting to the NUG representative

Kyaw Moe Tun Kyaw Moe Tun (; born 28 July 1969) is a Burmese diplomat who currently serves as the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations. Prior to his appointment to UN, he had served as director-general of International Organizations and E ...

. * 16 December - The BURMA Act is passed in the US authorising sanctions on individuals involved in the

, support to civil society and humanitarian assistance as well as a position within the State Department dedicated to democracy in Burma. * 30 December -

is sentenced to 33 years in prison for corruption.

Deaths

* 7 February – Abhijatabhivamsa, Buddhist monk (born 1968) * 16 February –

Pheung Kya-shin Pheung Kya-shin (; ; 26 January 1932 – 16 February 2022) was the chairman of the Shan State Special Region No. 1 in Myanmar (Burma) and the leader of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) from 1989 to 2009. Biography Pheung w ...

, guerrilla leader and drug smuggler, chairman of

Kokang Special Region Kokang (; ) is a region in Myanmar. It is located in the northern part of Shan State, with the Salween River to its west, and sharing a border with China's Yunnan Province to the east. Its total land area is around . The capital is Laukkai. Ko ...

(1989–1993, 1995–2009) (born 1931) * 19 February –

Kyi Hla Han Kyi Hla Han (, ; 13 February 1961 – 19 February 2022) was a professional golfer from Myanmar who served as executive chairman of the Asian Tour. Professional career Han turned professional in 1980. He recorded his first professional wins in 1 ...

, golfer (born 1961) * 20 March – Vijjota, Buddhist monk, thathanabaing (since 2017) (born 1930) * 18 April – Thein Tun, beverage executive and banker, founder of

Tun Foundation Bank The Tun Foundation Bank () is a privately owned bank in Myanmar that was established on 8 June 1994. All the profits from this bank go into scholarships for children from poor families. Operations As of 2000 the bank was run by Thein Tun, Chai ...

(born 1937) * 30 April – Khun Htun Oo, political activist (born 1943) * 23 May – Zaw Htay, politician, spokesman of the President Office (2011–2016) (born 1973) * 23 July – ** Kyaw Min Yu, writer and political activist (born 1969) ** Zayar Thaw, politician and rapper, MP (2012–2016, 2016–2021) (born 1981) * 12 August – Lillian Frank, hairdresser, philanthropist, and fashion influencer (born 1930) * 13 August – Maung Paw Tun, writer (born 1935)

References

{{Year in Asia, 2022 2010s in Myanmar Years of the 21st century in Myanmar