Soe_Win_(general)
Soe Win (general)
Deputy commander-in-chief of Myanmar
Soe Win (Burmese: စိုးဝင်း; pronounced [só wɪ́ɴ]; born 1 March 1960) is a Burmese army general and the current Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Appointed following the formation of the caretaker government on 1 August 2021, Soe Win hold essential roles, including Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC), Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces), and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Army.[13][14][15][16][17][18] He is also a member of Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council (NDSC).[19][20][21][22][23][24] In May 2012, former President of Myanmar, Thein Sein appointed Soe Win to the working committee of the government team responsible for negotiating with Myanmar's many armed ethnic rebel groups.[25] He is a close associate of former Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Vice-Senior General Maung Aye.[19][26][27][28][29][30][31]
Soe Win | |
---|---|
စိုးဝင်း | |
Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council | |
Assumed office 2 February 2021 | |
Chairman | Min Aung Hlaing |
Preceded by | Office established |
Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar | |
Assumed office 1 August 2021 | |
President | Myint Swe (acting) |
Prime Minister | Min Aung Hlaing |
Preceded by | Tin Hla (2001) |
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | |
Assumed office 30 March 2011 | |
President | Thein Sein Htin Kyaw Win Myint Myint Swe (acting) |
Preceded by | Maung Aye |
Personal details | |
Born | (1960-03-01) 1 March 1960 (age 64)[1] Mandalay, Burma (now Myanmar)[2] |
Citizenship | Burmese |
Spouse | Than Than Nwe |
Alma mater | Defence Services Academy |
Occupation | General |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Tatmadaw |
Branch/service | Myanmar Army |
Years of service | 1981–present |
Rank | Vice-Senior General |
Commands | Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Army |
Soe Win was born on 1 March 1960 in Mandalay, Burma (now Myanmar), to Chit Sein and Kyin Htwe.[32][33][34][35][36][37][38] In 1976, he attended a cadet course at the Defense Services Academy, alongside Ye Htut, graduating with distinctions in military science and literature. Soe Win graduated as part of the 22nd intake in 1981.[39][40][41][42][43]
In 1981, Soe Win graduated from the Defense Services Academy (DSA) during its 22nd intake.[44][45][46][47][48][49] In June 2008, he became the commander of the Northern Regional Command of the Myanmar Army in Kachin State.[50][51][52][53][54][55] In August 2010, Soe Win became Chief of the Bureau of Special Operations-6 (BSO-6), overseeing military operations in Chin and Rakhine States and the Magwe Region.[19][56][57][58][59][60][61]
Soe Win had also pressured the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to convert into a "Border Guard Force" (BGF) under the control of the military.[62][63][64][65][66][67] Despite numerous meetings between Soe Win and KIA leaders in July 2009 and August 2010, the KIA did not become a BGF.[19][68][69][70][71][72]
In September 2011, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) accused Soe Win of ordering Tatmadaw soldiers to attack KIA positions in Kachin State, thus violating the terms of multiple ceasefire agreements signed prior to the alleged attacks.[73][74][75][76][77][78] Soe Win denied the claims, saying that neither he nor anyone else in the Northern Regional Command had ordered an attack on the KIA.[19][79][80][81][82][83][84]
In April 2024, widespread rumors emerged that Soe Win might have sustained severe injuries during a resistance drone attack on the Southeastern Command headquarters in Mawlamyine, Mon State, where he was allegedly stationed.[85][86] His absence from public view for over two weeks fueled speculation, especially after the reported drone attack on 9 April 2024.[87][88] Concerns about his condition increased due to his non-attendance at Myanmar’s traditional New Year celebrations in Naypyitaw, where he usually appeared with families affiliated with the Commander-in-Chief Office and Naypyitaw’s mayor.[89][90] Soe Win's last public appearance was on 3 April 2024, during a visit to Ba Htoo in southern Shan State.[91][92]
Despite official denials, rumors persisted, including speculation of a potential purge.[93] Reports indicated growing support for Soe Win to assume military leadership amid recent setbacks and internal strife.[94] However, his reappearance in public on 30 April 2024 alleviated some uncertainty.[95][96][97] He was shown on state TV visiting injured soldiers at a military hospital in Mawlamyine, distributing cash rewards to bedridden soldiers for their service.[98] He also met with the chief ministers of Kayin and Mon states to discuss peace and prosperity along the Thai border.[99] During his interaction with officers from the South-East Command Center, his focus reportedly shifted towards matters of war.[100][101] Soe Win's return to the public eye provided some clarity during a period of heightened speculation and uncertainty.[102]
Accusations of corruption
Soe Win has been accused of being involved numerous cases of corruption and extortion during his career as commander of the Northern Regional Command from 2008 to 2010.[103][104][105][106][107][108] Soe Win has been accused of accepting bribes from companies dealing in jade, timber, and gold, in exchange for concessions from the profits.[109][110][111][112] Soe Win was reported to have accepted a 150 million kyat ($149,254 USD) bribe from teak businessmen from China's Yunnan Province, in exchange for allowing illicit teak trade on the Myanmar-China border.[113][114][115][116][117] In March 2010, he ordered Tatmadaw soldiers in Hpakant, Kachin State, to collect military taxes from local jade mining companies.[19][118][119][120][121][122]
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on Soe Win since 10 December 2019, pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption.[123][124] Soe Win has committed serious human rights abuse against members of ethnic minority groups across Myanmar.[125] These US sanctions include a freezing of assets under the US and a ban on transactions with any US person.[126][127]
About one year later on 11 February 2021, Soe Win was also placed on the sanctions list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) pursuant to Executive Order 14014, in response to the Myanmar's military coup against the democratically elected civilian government of Burma).[128][129]
The Government of Canada has imposed sanctions on Soe Win since 18 February 2021, pursuant to Special Economic Measures Act and Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations, in response to the gravity of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Canadian sanctions include a freezing of assets under Canada and a ban on transactions with any Canadian person.[130][131]
Furthermore, the Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions on Soe Win since 22 March 2021, pursuant to Council Regulation (EU) 2021/479 and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/480 which amended Council Regulation (EU) No 401/2013, for his responsibility for the military coup and the subsequent military and police repression against peaceful demonstrators. The EU sanctions include a freezing of assets under member countries of the EU and a ban on entry or transit to the countries.[132][133]
- "Issuance of Executive Order "Blocking Property With Respect To The Situation In Burma;" Burma-related Designations and Designations Updates". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- "Vice-Senior General Soe Win comforts Tatmadaw members, MPF members, people's militia receiving treatments for their wounds in serving State defence and security duties". The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Information. 17 December 2023.
- Nabila Massrali (9 March 2021). "Myanmar: Phone call between Vice-Admiral Bléjean and Vice-Senior General Soe Win". European Union.
- "Vice-Chairman of State Administration Council Vice-Senior General Soe Win visits Higher Military Command School". Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Moscow (Russia). 8 September 2021.
- "Where Is Myanmar Regime No. 2 Soe Win?". The Irrawaddy. 11 April 2024.
- Htet Naing Zaw (27 November 2017). "Top General to Take Active Role in Govt Reconciliation Efforts". The Irrawaddy.
- "ကိုဗစ် - ၁၉ ရောဂါ ကာကွယ်၊ ထိန်းချုပ်၊ကုသရေးဆိုင်ရာဆဋ္ဌမအကြိမ်ညှိနှိုင်း အစည်းအဝေးပြုလုပ်၊ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် အိမ်စောင့်အစိုးရ၊ နိုင်ငံတော်ဝန်ကြီးချုပ် ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီးမင်းအောင်လှိုင်တက်ရောက်အမှာစကားပြောကြား" (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- "SAC Vice-Chair Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win leaves for Russia". Myanmar National Portal. 27 August 2022.
- "Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Vice-Senior General Soe Win arrives back from Russian Federation". Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Moscow (Russia). 8 September 2021.
- "Tatmadaw Deputy Commander-in-Chief - Regime Watch - ALTSEAN Burma". www.altsean.org. Alternative ASEAN Network (ALTASEAN). Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- "Vice-Senior General Soe Win visits military commands in Pyin Oo Lwin | Ministry Of Information". www.moi.gov.mm. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- Jonathan Head (24 January 2024). "Last Tuesday, a noisy crowd of several hundred people stood in the small main square of Pyin Oo Lwin, a popular Myanmar hill town, to hear a bespectacled monk make a startling suggestion. Min Aung Hlaing, the country's military ruler, should step aside, he said, and let his deputy General Soe Win take over.The man who led the 2021 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, provoking a catastrophic civil war, has faced plenty of international censure, and is loathed by much of Myanmar's population". BBC News.
- Matthew Kendrick (23 April 2024). "Myanmar junta leader MIA as rebels make gains". GZERO Media.
- Andrew Selth (17 January 2024). "Three years on from the coup, what could help Myanmar's opposition movement?". Lowy Institute.
- Bertil Lintner (15 March 2021). "'Constructive Engagement' Stumbles Right Out of the Box in Myanmar". The Irrawaddy.
- Jonathan Head (28 April 2024). "Is Myanmar's army reversing its losses? It's complicated". BBC News.
- Thomas Keen (1 March 2024). "The small protest in the central Myanmar town of Pyin Oo Lwin on January 16 was far less spectacular than the military's recent battlefield losses, but for dictator-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing it was possibly just as damaging. Rather than call for the end of the junta that seized power in a February 2021 coup – as millions across Myanmar have done over the past three years – the pro-regime protesters urged Min Aung Hlaing to step down as head of the military, and hand over power to his deputy, Soe Win. "Look at Soe Win's face," the nationalist monk Pauk Ko Taw told the crowd of a few hundred people. "That's the face of a real soldier. Min Aung Hlaing is not coping. He should move to a civilian role."". The Diplomat.
- Anthony Galloway (24 February 2021). "'Lethal force is unacceptable': Senior ADF officer raises concerns with Myanmar's military in first phone call". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- "တပ်ချုပ် ဖြစ်လာနိုင်သူ စစ်သားကောင်း ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး စိုးဝင်း". ဧရာဝတီ. 2020-12-05. Archived from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
- "Myanmar Junta Continues Tightening the Screws on Its Economic Team". The Irrawaddy. 20 September 2023.
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- "Vice-Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win Honours Myanmar Academy Awards Ceremony for 2023". Myanmar National Portal. 6 February 2024.
- Subir Bhaumik (5 February 2024). "Three Years After Coup, Myanmar Military Junta Falling Apart – OpEd". Eurasia Review.
- Ei Thinzar Myint (10 April 2024). "Resistance Drones Strike Myanmar Military's SE Command During Junta No. 2's Visit". The Irrawaddy.
- "Political analysts note that the calls from Junta supporters for coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing to step down as Commander-in-Chief are evident signs of internal divisions within the coup regime. During a pro-Junta event in Pyin Oo Lwin on January 16th, Monk U Ariya Wun Tha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, suggested that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is better suited for a civilian role, advocating for him to transition to such a position and transfer the Commander-in-Chief role to his deputy, Vice Senior General Soe Win". Burma News International. 19 January 2024.
- "Last week, an ultranationalist Buddhist monk who helped set up pro-junta militias was detained and questioned by authorities after he joined calls for Min Aung Hlaing to resign to show responsibility for the string of humiliating military defeats. He told a crowd gathered for a pro-military rally in Mandalay Region's Pyin Oo Lwin town that Min Aung Hlaing should step down from his post as military chief and hand over control to his deputy, Vice Senior General Soe Win". The Irrawaddy. 22 January 2024.
- Brian Wei (25 January 2024). "Junta No. 2 Fails to Persuade Allied Karen Armed Group to Stay With Myanmar Military". The Irrawaddy.
- "General Soe Win is now deputy leader of the State Administration Council, the junta's governing body, and army commander-in-chief, while General Yar Pyae is now home affairs minister. General Kyaw Swe served as home affairs minister under the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi administration. In a twist of fate, General Yar Pyae is now handling Ye Htut's case". The Irrawaddy. 14 November 2023.
- "Don't Bet on Myanmar Junta No. 2 Ousting His Boss". The Irrawaddy. 16 August 2022.
- "SAC Vice-Chair Dy PM Vice-Senior General Soe Win attends 1st coordination meeting of Central Census Commission". Myanmar National Portal. 21 January 2023.
- "Myanmar Deputy Commander-In-Chief of Defence Services and Commander-In-Chief (Army) Calls on Minister for Defence". MINDEF Singapore. 10 February 2014.
- "Swiss visit by Myanmar army officials sparks controversy". SWI swissinfo.ch. 18 October 2017.
- "Vice-Senior General Soe Win Attends and Delivers a Speech at Meeting 1/2023 of Myanmar Special Economic Zone Central Committee". Myanmar National Portal. 17 October 2023.
- "Top Chinese Intelligence Official Visits Myanmar for 'Cooperation' Talks. Major General Yang Yang, acting director-general of the Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, met the junta's number two official, Soe Win, for talks on "cooperation between the two armies", state media said". The Irrawaddy. 31 May 2023.
- "SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win attends reception to mark 75th anniversary of founding Russia-Myanmar diplomatic ties". Myanmar National Portal. 19 February 2023.
- "Vice-Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win Comforts Military Personnel, Myanmar Police Force Members, and People's Militia got Injuries in Serving State Defence and Security Duties". Myanmar National Portal. 19 December 2023.
- Michael Sullivan (29 April 2020). "U.N. Envoy Brings New Allegations Of War Crimes Against Myanmar". NPR.
- "Tracing Myanmar Junta's Repeated Governing Body Shakeups Since Coup". The Irrawaddy. 28 September 2023.
- "SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win receives Russian Ambassador to Myanmar who has completed his tour of duty". Myanmar National Portal. 29 June 2023.
- "Crony Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Arrested as Commodity Prices Soar". The Irrawaddy. 14 September 2023.
- "At the funeral of highly revered Buddhist monk Bhamo Sayadaw Bhaddanta Kumara Bhivamsa on June 6, a solemn-faced Min Aung Hlaing was among those carrying the coffin, continuing the junta boss's efforts to portray himself as the protector of the religion in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Together with his deputy Soe Win, Min Aung Hlaing earlier carried the coffin of senior monk Zaygon Sayadaw from Naypyitaw's Pyinmana at the monk's funeral after he died in a military plane crash in June 2021". The Irrawaddy. 9 June 2023.
- "On March 9, at a regime meeting to discuss budget estimates for the 2023-24 fiscal year, deputy junta leader Vice Senior General Soe Win said the high cost of imported fuel made it necessary to reduce consumption in order to conserve foreign exchange. To address the situation, he said the junta would be exercising greater scrutiny over fuel consumption during this fiscal year, which began on April 1". Frontier Myanmar. 24 April 2023.
- "Myanmar Army's Vice Chairman Heads to Russia". The Irrawaddy. 1 September 2021.
- "Before his purge, Moe Myint Tun, who reportedly took millions of dollars in bribes from business owners, served as the trade chief. In the previous military regime, then leader Than Shwe entrusted that position to his deputy Maung Aye. For whatever reason, Min Aung Hlaing chose Moe Myint Tun over his deputy Soe Win for the role; now, to his shame, he has had to sack Moe Myint Tun for corruption. Min Aung Hlaing has also created deputy prime minister positions to keep Soe Win in check—Soe Htut was one of five in the current regime. The junta chief was however left with no choice as not only Soe Htut but also members of his family abused his position of power to line their own pockets. In another bitter blow, Min Aung Hlaing has been forced to hand the home affairs minister position to Lieutenant General Yar Pyae, a classmate of Soe Win's in the 22nd intake of the Defense Services Academy". The Irrawaddy. 26 September 2023.
- "China, Thailand and India Hold Talks With Myanmar Junta". The Irrawaddy. 5 September 2023.
- "SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win comforts those receiving treatments at Defence Services Specialty Orthopaedic Hospital (500-bed), special care centre at Defence Services". Myanmar National Portal. 29 October 2022.
- "Rumours swirl about General Soe Win's fate". Mizzima News. 25 April 2024.
- Sebastian Strangio (1 August 2023). "Myanmar Junta Extends State of Emergency for Fourth Time". The Diplomat.
- Mazoe Ford (16 June 2021). "The Vice Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Vice Admiral David Johnston, spoke with the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Myanmar military, Vice Senior General Soe Win, on Wednesday. The conversation occurred a week before the economist is due to face court in the South-East Asian nation alongside its ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for allegedly violating the official secrets act". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- "His No. 2, Vice Senior General Soe Win, commander-in-chief of the army and deputy head of the State Administration Council (as the junta calls itself), disappeared for nearly a month after an April 3 visit to Ba Htoo, a garrison town in southern Shan State, finally reappearing on state TV's evening news on Monday". The Irrawaddy. 30 April 2024.
- Saw Reh (16 April 2024). "KNLA and allies repel Myanmar junta troops trying to reach Myawaddy". Myanmar Now.
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- Saba Aziz (27 June 2018). "Myanmar officials 'played key role' in Rohingya ethnic cleansing". Al Jazeera News.
- "SAC Vice-Chair DPM Vice-Senior General Soe Win attends Film Academy Award Presentation Ceremony". Myanmar National Portal. 7 May 2023.
- Mazoe Ford (16 June 2021). "ADF Vice Chief David Johnston calls on Myanmar's junta to immediately release Australian Sean Turnell. The Vice Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Vice Admiral David Johnston, spoke with the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Myanmar military, Vice Senior General Soe Win, on Wednesday". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- "SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win receives Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Mr Chen Hai". Myanmar National Portal. 29 April 2023.
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- "ကာကွယ်ရေးဦးစီးချုပ်ရုံး(ကြည်း၊ ရေ၊ လေ)မိသားစုများ၏ ဒသမအကြိမ် မဟာဘုံကထိန် အလှူတော်မင်္ဂလာ အခမ်းအနားကျင်းပ". Tatmadaw Information Team (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2021-02-02.