When the generals and their sycophants gathered for a cabinet meeting in Naypyitaw yesterday, all eyes were on the one who did not show up.
Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing tried to keep the focus on the threat of climate change, the need for better coaching in sports, and other issues, but those who follow his regime closely were asking why his deputy, General Soe Win, was not there.
General Soe Win’s condition, whereabouts and even his name were not mentioned by the junta ministers who attended the meeting at the Office of the Commander-In-Chief or their regional and state counterparts who Zoomed in.
He has not been seen in public since April 3 when he visited Ba Htoo, a garrison town in southern Shan State.
Unconfirmed reports say Min Aung Hlaing’s right-hand man was injured in a drone attack on April 9 as resistance forces attacked the headquarters of the Southeastern Command in Mon State’s Mawlamyine. Soe Win and senior officers were meeting there to discuss how to retake Myawaddy, a key town for border trade with Thailand that had just been captured by Karen rebels.
Junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min has twice denied reports that Soe Win is receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in drone attacks. He has not, however, said where he is. And no new photos of the frequently photographed general have been released.
Soe Win was also absent from Myanmar’s traditional New Year celebrations in Naypyitaw. He had been a regular celebrant at the annual festival where, each year, he was photographed visiting pavilions set up by the families of those connected to the Commander-in-Chief Office and Naypyitaw’s mayor.
A graduate of the 22nd intake of the Defiance Services Academy, Soe Win has never been considered media shy.
Sources in the military say tension between him and junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has risen since the military began suffering a string of humiliating defeats in late October last year. Military supporters have been publicly demanding that Min Aung Hlaing step down as military chief and hand the reins to Soe Win.
Two theories have emerged: Soe Win has been incapacitated by severe injuries, or he is about to be purged.
One event is mentioned in support of the purge claim. Former generals who criticized Min Aung Hlaing for being too soft on resistance forces were arrested just before Thingyan.
On April 10, former Lieutenant General Myint Hlaing was arrested in his home for alleged corruption.
The former chairman of the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Naypyitaw, Myint Hlaing had served as agriculture minister under Thein Sein’s administration from 2011 to 2016.
When USDP members were targeted by resistance forces in the early days of the post-coup armed revolt, Myint Hlaing demanded that USDP members be armed to protect themselves – a move that earned him support from party members in Naypyitaw. However, he has often criticized Min Aung Hlaing for being too soft on resistance forces, which analysts say is the real reason for his arrest.
Two other generals are rumored to have been arrested along with Myint Hlaing for allegedly plotting to oust Min Aung Hlaing. The Irrawaddy has been unable to verify these rumors.
