Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who has come under fire from regime supporters for presiding over a series of historic military defeats, has promoted lieutenant generals in his inner circle in an apparent move to retain his shaky seat.
Three members of his regime’s governing body, the State Administration Council—Lieutenant General Aung Lin Dwe, Lieutenant General Nyo Saw and Lieutenant General Ye Win Oo—were promoted to the rank of general, according to sources in Naypyitaw.
The promotions came close on the heels of social media reports last week about a palace coup in Naypyitaw claiming that Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dwe, the SAC secretary, had ousted Min Aung Hlaing.
One defector from the Myanmar military said: “There is no organizational structure as such. He is just building a network of patronage. He has the power, so he is doing as he pleases.”
Aung Lin Dwe and Nyo Saw are reservists, and the Myanmar military previously had no tradition of promoting reservists.
Part of the 25th intake of the Defense Services Academy (DSA), Aung Lin Dwe, who turned 62 in May, was Min Aung Hlaing’s subordinate when the future coup leader served as the DSA Commandant in Pyin Oo Lwin.
Min Aung Hlaing served as Commandant of the Defense Services Technological Academy (DSTA) in Pyin Oo Lwin before being appointed as the head of Western Command, which oversees Rakhine State in western Myanmar, in 2014.
Aung Lwin Dwe became the judge advocate general in 2016 and was a member of the Union-level Ceasefire Monitoring Committee.
Part of the DSA’s 23rd intake, Nyo Saw is a Union minister at the SAC Chairman’s Office. He is also an advisor to Min Aung Hlaing. He is a recipient of the Thray Sithu title for his contribution to the construction of the colossal Mara Vijaya Buddha statue in Naypyitaw commissioned by Min Aung Hlaing.
Nyo Saw has served as commandant of the DSA and DSTA in Naypyitaw and as chief of both Southern Command and Central Command.
He was the quartermaster-general from 2014 to 2020, and currently leads a junta committee to purchase and distribute fuel from Russia.
He also chairs the Myanmar military-owned business conglomerate Myanma Economic Corporation and the military-owned Innwa Bank. Min Aung Hlaing appointed Nyo Saw as his advisor in July last year.
Part of the Officer Training School’s 77th intake, Ye Win Oo is the military intelligence chief responsible for the junta’s torture chambers, which use torture to glean information from dissidents.
He is also the joint secretary of the SAC, and often accompanies Min Aung Hlaing at the junta’s cabinet meetings and during his trips.
