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Myint Swe was not found at fault for any security slip.

 

Myint Swe, who has a Mon ethnic background, became an army second lieutenant in 1973 when he graduated from the 15th intake of Rangoon’s Defense Service Academy. He rose quickly through the ranks, from commander of the 97th Infantry Battalion to commander of the 11th Light Infantry Division, an important post as the division provides security for Rangoon.

 

Though Myint Swe is often reported to be a nephew of Kyaing Kyaing, wife of junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe, some military analysts in Rangoon say it is in fact not true. The general was close to Than Shwe’s family during his rise to the top, and Kyaing Kyaing appreciated his deferential approach.

 

As a promising divisional commander and a favorite of the first-lady to be, the then Brig-Gen Myint Swe took over as regional commander of the Southeast Command in 2001 when incumbent Thiha Thura Sit Maung died in a helicopter crash. He went on to take over the Rangoon Command and was promoted to major general.

 

When the junta purged Khin Nyunt, Myint Swe played a critical role in rooting out members of the former prime minister’s intelligence apparatus. Then he was given MAS’s chief position without giving up his Rangoon Command. Ironically, his most recent promotion coincided with the first anniversary of Khin Nyunt’s arrest. The promotion also made military history—Myint Swe is the first Burmese regional commander to rise above the rank of major general.

 

Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing [Northeast Region Commander]

 

To win respect in the Burmese military, you have to play hardball. And of the 12 regional commanders, it is the head of the Lashio-based Northeast Region, Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing, who plays hardest. Notoriously ruthless in dealing with ethnic groups, Myint Hlaing controls what is arguably the single most volatile region in Burma: Northern Shan State, home to no less than seven ethnic ceasefire groups, including the infamous drug-running United Wa State Army.

 

Myint Hlaing graduated from Rangoon’s Defense Service Academy in 1975, and went on to serve under current junta vice chairman Deputy Snr-Gen Maung Aye in the Eastern Command during the late 1980s. Bumped up to lieutenant colonel in 1994, Myint Hlaing was one of the first batch of military personnel sent to Nanjing, China, for officer training the following year. In 2001, he made major general and succeeded Maj-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo as commander of the Northeast Region.

 

Myint Hlaing came to widespread attention in 2004, when he alerted junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe to corruption among intelligence officers under his watch in the China-Burma border town of Muse. This led to scores of arrests and, ultimately, the removal of then-prime minister Khin Nyunt.

 

Since early 2005, Myint Hlaing has come down hard on Shan groups working towards regional autonomy, orchestrating the arrest of several prominent leaders.