DEMOCRACY: YANGON- MYANMAR ARMY SAYS POWER HANDED TO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES MIN AUNG HLAING
Min Aung Hlaing
Myanmar military declares one-year state of emergency
YANGON — Myanmar’s military declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday, handing power to a former general after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials.
An announcement read out on military-owned Myawaddy TV said the move was needed to preserve the “stability” of the state, accusing the country’s election commission of failing to address “huge irregularities” in a November election.
Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, was detained in the early hours along with the president and other top politicians after weeks of tensions with the military over the allegations of vote-rigging.
“The UEC (election commission) failed to solve huge voter lists irregularities in the multiparty general election which was held on November 8th 2020,” said the statement signed by the new acting president Myint Swe, a former general who had been vice-president.
The statement accused “other party organizations” of “harming the stability of the state”.
“As the situation must be resolved according to the law, a state of emergency is declared.”
The statement said responsibility for “legislation, administration and judiciary” had been handed over to military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.
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Min Aung Hlaing
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မင်းအောင်လှိုင်
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| Leader of Myanmar’s military junta | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2021 |
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| Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of Myanmar | |
| Assumed office 30 March 2011 |
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| President | Thein Sein Htin Kyaw Win Myint |
| Deputy | Soe Win |
| State Counsellor | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Preceded by | Than Shwe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 July 1956 Tavoy, Burma (now Dawei, Myanmar) |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Spouse(s) | Kyu Kyu Hla |
| Children | Aung Pyae Sone Khin Thiri Thet Mon |
| Alma mater | Rangoon Arts and Sciences University (LL.B) Defence Services Academy |
| Awards | Maha Thray Sithu Honorary Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valour (First Degree) Gallant Commander of Malaysian Armed Forces Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant of Thailand |
| Website | www |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Myanmar |
| Branch/service |  Myanmar Army |
| Years of service | 1974–present |
| Rank |  Senior General |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw Joint Chief of Staff Chief of Bureau of Special Operations-2 (BSO-2) |
Min Aung Hlaing (Burmese: မင်းအောင်လှိုင်; born 3 July 1956) is a Burmese army general who is the current Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces. He assumed the post on 30 March 2011. He is also a member of the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) chaired by the President of Myanmar.[1]
He was previously Joint Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defence of Myanmar, and was promoted to four-star General in the early 2011 and five-star General in March 2013. On 5 November 2020, Tatmadaw declared the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s rank is equivalent to Vice President of Myanmar.[2]
Min Aung Hlaing took power in the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état.[3]
Early life and career
Min Aung Hlaing was born on 3 July 1956 in Tavoy, Burma (now Dawei, Myanmar). His father, Thaung Hlaing, is a civil engineer, who worked at the Ministry of Construction.[4]
Min Aung Hlaing passed his matriculation exam in 1972 at BEHS 1 Latha of Rangoon (Yangon).[4][5] He attended and studied law at the Rangoon Arts and Science University from 1972 to 1973 before joining the Defense Services Academy in the 19th Intake 1974 on his third attempt.[6] He was reportedly shunned by classmates because of his reserved personality. Key dates are as follows:
- 1972 March – Rangoon Arts and Science University (Law)
- 1974 – University Training Corps (1971–1974: sergeant)
- 1974 January – Defence Services Academy
- 1977 December – Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Burmese Army
Following graduation, Min Aung Hlaing went on to command positions in Mon State and in 2002, he was promoted to commander of the Triangle Region Command in Eastern Shan State and was a central figure in negotiations with two rebel groups, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA).[4]
Military rank
Major General – 2008/2009
Lieutenant General – Late 2009
General – Early 2011
Vice-Senior General – Early 2012
Senior General – March 2013
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Command appointments
He rose to prominence in 2009 after leading an offensive against the insurgent Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army in Kokang.[7]
In June 2010, Min Aung Hlaing replaced General Shwe Mann as Joint Chief of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.[4] On 30 March 2011 he became the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Myanmar, replacing the outgoing head of state and junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe.[8]
In November 2011, according to The Irrawaddy News, it was “widely believed” that following Min Aung Hlaing’s meetings with Chinese military officials that month and his leadership in creating a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation with the Chinese, he had also held talks with Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping regarding cooperation from China with respect to the Kachin Conflict.[7]
On March 27, 2012, during a speech in Naypyidaw, Min Aung Hlaing defended the military’s continued role in national politics.[7][9] On April 3, 2012, the Government of Myanmar announced that Min Aung Hlaing had been promoted to vice-senior general, the second highest rank in the Armed Forces of Myanmar.[7] He was promoted to senior general in March 2013.
Criticism
Human rights violations
The UNHRC reported that Min Aung Hlaing’s soldiers have been deliberately targeting civilians in Northern states of Myanmar and have been doing “systemic discrimination” and human rights violations against minority communities in Rakhine State.[10] In particular, he has been accused of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people.[11] These human rights violations could amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.[12]
Facebook banned Min Aung Hlaing from its platform along with 19 other top Burmese officials and organisations to prevent further heated ethnic and religious tensions in Myanmar. This action followed a UN investigation’s report that certain military leaders in Myanmar be investigated and prosecuted for genocide over a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.[13][14] Twitter later banned him on May 16, 2019.[15]
On 17 March 2019, Kyaw Zaw Oo, an Arakanese MP, published a bi-lingual open letter to Min Aung Hlaing about many violations of Tatmadaw in Rakhine State, inflicting on lives and property of the civilians, damaging some buildings of cultural heritage as well.[16][17]
In July 2019, the United States government banned him from travel to the United States.[18] In December 2020, it froze Min Aung Hlaing’s American-based assets and criminalized financial transactions between him and anyone in the United States.[18][19]
Corruption
Min Aung Hlaing has courted significant controversy for his family’s significant business interests and potential conflict of interest. He is a major shareholder in the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL). During the 2010-11 fiscal year, he had owned 5,000 shares and received an annual dividend payment of $250,000.[20] He sits in MEHL’s Patron Group, which runs the conglomerate.[21]
Min Aung Hlaing’s son, Aung Pyae Sone, owns a number of private companies, including Sky One Construction Company and Aung Myint Mo Min Insurance Company.[22] He also has a majority stake in Mytel, a national telecoms carrier.[22] In 2013, his son Aung Pyae Sone won a no-bid government permit well below market rates, to lease land for 30 years at the Yangon People’s Park for a high-end restaurant and art gallery, following his father’s promotion to Commander-in-Chief.[23] Aung Pyae Sone also runs A&M Mahar, which offers Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and customs clearance services for drugs and medical devices.[24] Myanmar’s customs department is led by Kyaw Htin, a former MEHL director.[24]
His daughter Khin Thiri Thet Mon founded a major film studio, 7th Sense Film Production, in 2017.[25] That same year, his daughter-in-law, Myo Radana Htaik, founded another entertainment company, Stellar Seven Entertainment.[25] The American Embassy, Yangon came under scrutiny in December 2020, for collaborating with 7th Sense Creation, because Min Aung Hlaing is technically subject to US economic sanctions.[26]
Personal life
Min Aung Hlaing is married to Kyu Kyu Hla.[27] He has several children, including Aung Pyae Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon.[28]
Awards and decorations[edit]
The Most Gallant Order of Military Service, Gallant Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces (Darjah Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera), Honorary Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valor (1st Degree), Malaysia[29]
Medal “For strengthening the military commonwealth” ( Ministry of Defense, Russia) [30]
Badge of Honor of FSMTC “For the Merits in the Field of Military-Technical Cooperation” [31]
The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Knight Grand Cross (1st Class), Thailand[32]
The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, Knight Grand Cross (1st Class), Thailand[33]
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Religious honors
On 7 October 2019, the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) awarded him the title of Mingaladhamma Zawtika Dhaza and the permanent patron of YMBA.[34][35] On 9 December 2020, YMBA awarded him the title of Thado Thiri Agga Maha Mingalar Zawtika.[36]
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CAPTAIN AMERICA …….. IS BACK
HELP IS COMING …
