Junta passes Military Secrets Protection Law

The military regime on Monday promulgated a law criminalizing the unauthorized transfer of military secrets.

The Military Secrets Protection Law defines “military secrets” as “military grand strategies, strategies, tactics, and matters related to military training, technologies and technical systems concerning naval vessels, aircraft, other vehicles, machinery, weapons, ammunition, and military equipment used by the Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s military], production and installation techniques, military technologies, procedures, or systems, and relevant measures officially announced by the relevant ministry from time to time as military secrets,” according to junta media.

The law bans incumbent or former members of the military, police, people’s militia, or any military unit from participating in or providing training to unlawful organizations or private security companies by sharing military secrets with them. Violation of this is punishable by life imprisonment or death.

The law aims “to contribute to the national security of the country by protecting and safeguarding military secrets and to prevent the training, assistance, or involvement in the use of military secrets by foreign governments, foreign military organizations, non-military foreign organizations, unauthorized armed groups, or any other individuals, and to prevent the exchange or transfer of such military secrets to them,” according to the regime. (Photo: Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing attends the Sin Byu Shin Military Exercise in February 2018 / CINCDS)