The junta’s No. 2, Vice Senior General Soe Win, bounced back into public view after a near-monthlong absence on Monday, ending widespread speculation that he had either been purged or severely wounded in a resistance drone attack.
Soe Win was shown on state TV trying to give a pep talk to injured soldiers at a military hospital in the capital of Mon State, Mawlamyine. State media said he also handed out cash “rewards” to the bedridden soldiers for injuries “sustained during their performance of national defense and security duties.”
Soe Win also met the chief ministers of Kayin and Mon states to discuss peace and prosperity along the Thai border, but when he met officers from the South-East Command Center his focus was on war, state media said.
Min Aung Hlaing’s righthand man disappeared from public view after an April 3 visit to Ba Htoo, a garrison town in southern Shan State. His absence was noticed quickly because he had been one of the main stock characters in the junta’s propaganda where he portrayed perceived competence and unyielding toughness.
Resistance forces said he was severely injured in a drone strike on April 9 when they attacked the headquarters of the Southeastern Command in Mon State’s Mawlamyine where he was meeting senior officers to discuss how to defend Myawaddy, a key town for border trade with Thailand, from ethnic Karen resistance fighters. They succeeded in capturing Myawaddy but later withdrew from the town.
Soe Win’s disappearance was also put down to speculation that he was purged by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing due to his popularity among junta cheerleaders. They argue that the regime boss has failed to crush the nationwide anti-regime movement because he is too soft.
Soe Win, they say, has fewer qualms than Min Aung Hlaing.
Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun twice denied reports that Soe Win was receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in a drone attack.
His denials, however, failed to quell speculation that was fueled by the fact that Soe Win’s disappearance happened during a critical time for the regime. While he was out of the public eye, Myawaddy fell into rebel hands and fighting erupted within meters of the Thai border. The junta’s military faced crises and humiliation elsewhere at the same time.
The regime has dispatched reinforcements to Myawaddy, but they were reportedly stuck in the Dawna Mountains. They have to find a way through the hazardous terrain to reach the border town. Ambushes by resistance troops are slowing them down and depleting their number.
