Myanmar’s junta has replaced military commanders in Rakhine, Mon and Karen states following defeats, sources have told The Irrawaddy.
Commandant of the Command and General Staff College Brigadier-General Kyaw Lin Maung has replaced Major-General Soe Min as chief of Southeastern Command, which oversees operations in Mon and Karen States.
Maj-Gen Soe Min was shunted aside after the fall of a hilltop tactical command base in Kyaikdon town, Kyarinseikkyi Township, Karen State. The Karen National Union’s Brigade 6 is active in the area.
The Karen National Liberation Army, an armed wing of the KNU, attacked the base with allied groups on the morning of March 13. Tactical commander Colonel Aung Kyaw Soe from 13th Military Operations Command surrendered the base on the evening of March 14.
A family member of a soldier from Southeastern Command who asked for anonymity said: “The new commander [Brig-Gen Kyaw Lin Maung] has arrived, and he attended graduation for a computer training course [at the command] on March 22.”
Brig-Gen Kyaw Lin Maung is from the Defense Services Academy’s 40th intake. He has little combat experience but is trusted by junta boss Min Aung Hlaing, according to sources.
A local commander from KNU Brigade 6 said: “After the coup, [Northeastern Command chief] Myat Thet Oo was replaced by Soe Min following defeats in Karen State. Did Soe Min manage to win? There is no solution no matter who the junta appoints as commander.”
Meanwhile, Maj-Gen Kyaw Swar Oo, the commander of Coastal Region Command based in Tanintharyi Region, has been transferred to the reserve force and replaced by Maj-Gen Soe Min.
Maj-Gen Htin Latt Oo, chief of Western Command which oversees military operations in Rakhine State, has also been transferred to the reserves, according to sources. He is likely to face interrogation and punishment following the loss of several towns in Rakhine to the Arakan Army since the launch of its offensive in November.
Brigadier-General Kyaw Kyaw Han, the former commander of the 77th Light Infantry Division, has been appointed to head Western Command.
“Replacing the commanders will not help prevent defeats,” an officer who defected from the military following the coup said.
“How can the regime win when soldiers on the ground are tired of fighting? The situation is worse as they have no public support.”
However, not every losing commander has been sacked by Min Aung Hlaing. Some have won promotions regardless of their defeats.
Despite suffering devastating losses to the Brotherhood Alliance’s Operation 1027 in northern Shan State, Northeastern Command chief Maj-Gen Naing Naing Oo was promoted to Lieutenant-General and chief of Bureau of Special Operations 2.
Naing Naing Oo reportedly has close ties with Army chief of staff and Quartermaster-General Lieutenant-General Kyaw Swar Lin, a favorite of Min Aung Hlaing who has been tipped to become Myanmar’s next military chief.
This article is supported by the Transition Promotion Programme, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
