Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing this week rotated regional commanders in his latest reshuffle of the Myanmar military.
Coastal Region Commander Major-Gen Soe Min has been transferred to head Naypyitaw Command, replacing Major-General Saw Than Hlaing, who was shunted to the reserve force.
Soe Min’s transfer to Naypyitaw came after the fall of several junta bases to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied People’s Defense Force in coastal Tanintharyi Region.
Despite the military defeats, Min Aung Hlaing decided to retain Soe Win for his loyalty, a military analyst explained.
“So instead of firing him, he transferred him to a command overseeing no military operations,” he said.
Brigadier-General Pyae Sone Lin from Naypyitaw War Office has replaced Soe Win as Coastal Region Command chief.
Pyae Sone Lin graduated from the Defense Services Academy 40th intake. Since the 2021 coup he has served concurrently as general staff officer at Naypyitaw War Office Headquarters and chief of Bureau of Special Operations 6, which oversees military operations in Naypyitaw.
Pyae Sone Lin is one of the junta boss’s trusted officials, tasked with briefing Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy Soe Win on military reports sent by frontline commanders, sources told The Irrawaddy.
He has however never seen military action during his career, despite rising in the ranks from junior officer to brigadier-general, a source told The Irrawaddy.
Military commanders have been rotated out frequently between the annual reshuffles since the coup. The Naypyitaw Command is on its fourth commander and the Coastal Region Command is on its third since the power grab.
Another high-profile victim of this week’s purge is Maj-Gen Win Lwin, who was sacked as Ministry of Defense ordnance director after being accused of embezzling weapons and fuel.
The regime also appointed deputy military training chief Maj-Gen Ko Lay as deputy defense minister on Wednesday, replacing Aung Lin Tun who was reportedly fired over online scams in northern Shan State.
