More than 50 senior Burmese military officials have found themselves nudged up the army hierarchy to fill spots made vacant by the mass ‘retirement’ of the country’s leading ringmasters.
A memo given to DVB by Burmese army sources lists 51 prominent military personnel that have been promoted to ranks ranging from Joint Chief of Staff to Commander.
This list makes no mention of Burma’s supposedly former top brass – including Senior General Than Shwe, Vice-Chairman Maung Aye and Shwe Mann, the junta’s number three – who all made headlines last week after reportedly quitting their military posts.
Observers believe the country’s largest military shake-up in decades is a forewarning of the junta’s intention to compete in controversial elections slated for 7 November, which are being widely viewed as a sham aimed at cementing military rule in Burma.
US State Department spokesperson Phillip Crowley said on Monday that the junta was merely “civilianising” the status quo, with “dictators [now] in civilian clothing”.
Than Shwe’s rumoured retirement has since been questioned however, with the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper publishing a front page story on Monday citing the congratulations given by the “Senior General” to mark Malaysia’s independence day, implying that he hadn’t left his military post.
According to the memo (copied below), however, some of the other rumours are true: the Joint Chief of Staff position previously held by Shwe Mann has now been filled by Lieutenant General Min Aung Hlaing, who has been promoted from heading the Bureau of Special Operations to become the army’s third-ranking official.
A Burmese foreign ministry official speaking to DVB on condition of anonymity last week said that Shwe Mann was likely to run for president, a new title in a country that has been under military rule for nearly half a century, although this remains a rumour.
In Min Aung Hlaing’s position comes Major General Myint Soe, who had led the Burmese army’s Northwestern Regional Military Command; indeed all of the key positions in the Bureau of Special Operations’ 1 to 6 are former regional army commanders.
The post held by prominent intelligence chief Ye Myint at the helm of what is called Military Affairs Security (MAS) has been filled by Major General Kyaw Swe, who previously led the Southwestern Regional Military Command.
Ministry of Defence
| No. | Name | Previous position | New position |
| 1 | Lieutenant General Min Aung Hlaing | Chief of Bureaus of Special Operations | Join Chief of Staff, Defence Services (Army/Navy/Air Force) |
| 2 | Major General Myint Soe | Commander, North-western Regional Military Command | Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-1 |
| 3 | Major General Aung Than Htut | Commander, North-eastern RMC | Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-2 |
| 4 | Major General Hla Min | Commander,
Southern RMC |
Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-3 |
| 5 | Major General Thet Naing Win | Commander, South-eastern RMC | Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-4 |
| 6 | Major General Tin Ngwe | Commander, Central RMC | Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-5 |
| 7 | Major General Soe Win | Commander, Nothern RMC | Chief, Bureau of Special Operations-6 |
| 8 | Major General Khin Zaw Oo | Commander, Costal RMC | Adjutant General |
| 9 | Major General Wei Lwin | Commander, Western RMC | Quartermaster General |
| 10 | Major General Win Myint | Commander, Rangoon RMC | Military Appointments General |
| 11 | Major General Yar Pyae | Comander, Eastern RMC | Judge Advocate General |
| 12 | Major General Thaung Aye | Commander,
Western RMC |
Defence Services Inspector General |
| 13 | Major General Kyaw Swe | Commander, South-western RMC | Chief, Military Affairs Security |
| 14 | Major General Kyaw Phyo | Commander,
Triangle RMC |
Defence Forces (Army/Navy/Air Force) Inspection and Auditor General |
| 15 | Major General Sein Win | (unknown) | Chief of Staff, Air Defence |
| 16 | Major General Thein Htay | Vice-chief of Ordinence | Chief of Ordinence |
| 17 | Bragidier General San Oo | Director, Defence Services Technological Academy | Commander, Eastern RMC |
| 18 | Bragadier General Ye Aung | Director, Army Combat Forces School (Ba Htoo Fort) | Commander, Central RMC |
| 19 | Bragadier General Soe Htut | Commander, Light Infantry Division-88 | Commander, Southern RMC |
| 20 | Bragadier General Htun Than | Commander, LID-77 | Commander, Rangoon RMC |
| 21 | Bragadier General Aung Kyaw Zaw | Commander, LIB-33 | Commander, North-eastern RMC |
| 22 | Bragadier General Zeya Aung | Director, Defense Services Academy | Commander, Nothern RMC |
| 23 | Bragadier General Maung Maung Aye | Commander, Military Operations Command-6 | Commander, Naypyidaw RMC |
| 24 | Bragadier General Htun Nay Linn | Director, Defence Services Medical Academy | Commander, South-eastern RMC |
| 25 | Bragadier General Soe Thein | Commander,
MOC-9 |
Commander, Western RMC |
| 26 | Bragadier General Tin Maung Win | LID-22 | Commander, South-western RMC |
| 27 | Bragadier General Soe Lwin | Commander, MOC-3 | Commander, North-western RMC |
| 28 | Bragadier General Khin Maung Htay | Commander, LID-99 | Commander, Costal RMC |
| 29 | Bragadier General Than Htut Oo | Commander, MOC-14 | Commander, Triangle RMC |
| 30 | Bragadier General Zarni Win | (???) | Director, Defence Services (Procurement) |
| 31 | Bragadier General Than Htun | Commander, LID-11 | Provost Marshal |
| 32 | Brigadier General Nay Linn | Commander, MOC-12 | Director, Defence Services (Information) |
| 33 | Bragadier General Tin Maung Win | Commander, MOC-17 | Director, Defence Services (Archive) |
| 34 | Colonel Ko Ko Naing | Commander, MOC-8 | Director, Defence Services Medical Academy |
| 35 | Colonel Mya Htun Oo | Commander, LID-101 | Director, Defence Services Academy |
| 36 | Colonel Nyo Saw | Commander,
MOC-5 |
Director, Defence Services Technological Academy |
| 37 | Colonel Thit Linn Ohn | Commander, LID-11 | |
| 38 | Colonel Htinpaw Htun | Commander, LID-22 | |
| 39 | Colonel Aung Soe | Commander, LID-33 | |
| 40 | Colonel Soe Naing Oo | Commander, LID-77 | |
| 41 | Colonel Htun Htun Aung | Commander, LID-88 | |
| 42 | Colonel Ko Ko Khine | Commander, LID-99 | |
| 43 | Colonel Min Naing | Commander, LID-101 | |
| 44 | Colonel Aung Ye Win | Commander, MOC-1 | |
| 45 | Colonel Myat Kyaw | Commander, MOC-3 | |
| 46 | Colonel Aye Win | Commander, MOC-5 | |
| 47 | Colonel Lu Aye | Commander, MOC-6 | |
| 48 | Colonel Ye Naing Myo | Commander, MOC-8 | |
| 49 | Colonel Kyaw San Linn | Commander, MOC-10 | |
| 50 | Colonel Naing Win | Commander, MOC-12 | |
| 51 | Brigadier General Kyaw Naing Oo | Commander, MOC-19 |
© Democratic Voice of Burma
