5/1/2021 A Preliminary Analysis of the Myanmar Military Junta’s Media Propaganda – Tea Circle constitutional conventions that took many years and required the efforts of over 700 representatives from many different strata of life to build a multiparty democratic system. However, the 2008 Constitution severely limits democratic engagement, providing enormous power to the military and legitimizing the military’s interference in politics. Because it cannot rely on democratic legitimacy, the military junta is constantly trying to reaf rm the legitimacy of its regime on other grounds while also giving frequent warnings that any person or any movement acting against its orders will be punished. Analysis of Propaganda spread through Social Media The military has also been using social media platform pages such as the of cial military Facebook page, “Tatmadaw True News Information Team,” and the military-associated “People Media” since the beginning of February 2021. While these pages have since been taken down in line with Facebook’s global policies prohibiting incitement of violence, their primary use has been to distribute propaganda and drive confusion among Myanmar citizens mainly in three areas: religion, the healthcare sector, and the Civil Disobedience Movement. Analysing the distribution of propaganda based on religion, we note that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has moved to reopen pagodas and other religious buildings across the country (closed according to the COVID-19 prevention and control measures) several times in his speeches starting from February 2, and has appeared publicly visiting well-known Buddhist monks in Nay Pyi Taw. He has also noted that the military junta will continue to promote and propagate the Śāsana and increase donations to places in need. With the military junta constantly bringing up religion in all of its speeches and news, we conclude that this is another modi ed example of ag-waving propaganda that enhances nationalism and patriotism through the inclusion of religion. More speci cally, the junta has spread misleading news of citizens’ peaceful visit to pagodas and of high-ranking military of cials’ efforts in promoting the Śāsana, at least once a day since the reopening day of pagodas on February 8, 2021. One post published on February 10 at 7:48 pm, on the Tatmadaw True News Information Team Facebook page, featured a headline about moving a large Buddha statue and other related items to Naypyidaw. Another post was https://teacircleoxford.com/2021/03/09/a-preliminary-analysis-of-the-myanmar-military-juntas-media-propaganda/ 5/16