The Myanmar military regime has replaced Major General Kyi Khaing with Major General Aung Khaing Win as the head of Central Command, sources told The Irrawaddy.
The replacement came after Sayadaw Bhaddanta Munindabhivamsa, 78, a senior Buddhist monk and a prominent teacher and author on Buddhism, was shot dead on June 19 as he traveled by car through central Mandalay Region, in an incident state media initially blamed on armed resistance groups before the junta admitted its forces were responsible.
Kyi Khaing’s sacking follows investigations by the regime of a number of military officers in late June.
Aung Khaing Win was previously the chief of the Triangle Region Command based in Kengtung, Shan State. He graduated with the 36th intake of the Defense Services Academy.
His transfer comes as the regime’s military engages in fierce fighting with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force groups in Mandalay Region’s Mogoke and Madaya, areas where the Central Command oversees military operations.
Kyi Khaing is the only Central Command chief to have been dismissed since the 2021 coup. All of his predecessors as the chief of Central Command under junta boss Min Aung Hlaing were promoted.
