Myanmar’s junta chief expected to hand over top military post to long-time protege

Observers say the move could formalise a military-controlled political system rather than signal real democratic change. Read more at straitstimes.com.

YANGON – Myanmar’s junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing appears to be orchestrating a transition to a nominally civilian government, with analysts saying he is likely to hand over the military’s top post before assuming the presidency in late March.

General Ye Win Oo, 60, the former chief of military intelligence, was promoted to army chief in early March – replacing Vice-Senior General Soe Win, who retains his role as deputy commander-in-chief of defence services.

Analysts who spoke to The Straits Times widely expect General Ye Win Oo, a close aide and long-time protégé of the junta leader, to become the next commander-in-chief when Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who turns 70 this year, assumes the presidency after Parliament convenes.

Such a move would mark the first step in Myanmar’s transition to a nominally civilian government, five years after the military seized power in a coup.

The country remains locked in conflict between the junta and resistance forces, with nearly 93,300 people dead and 3.7 million displaced since the February 2021 coup, according to international crisis-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) and the UN Refugee Agency.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Myanmar human rights organisation, said the junta has arrested more than 30,600 people since the coup and about 22,500 remain detained.