Promotions continue at Naypyidaw Military Headquarters, New Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo is shaping a new circle of loyalists

AYEYARWADDY TIMES June 30 General Ye Win Oo, the new head of the military junta's armed forces, has been frequently making personnel changes and promotions within the military's top ranks, according to sources within the Naypyidaw military headquarters. In promotions carried out in recent days, Lieutenant General La Pyae has been promoted to the rank of General, and two other top military officers, Major General Soe Hlaing and Major General Pyay Sone Linn, have been promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant General respectively. "There have been changes in the Yangon Regional Commander and the Police Chiefs. Soe Hlaing has been sent to the position of Commander of the Special Operations Forces. Although Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo is making changes, everyone is still reporting to former military leader Min Aung Hlaing," a military source told the Ayeyarwaddy Times. Among those promoted, Lieutenant General La Pyae, who has now attained the rank of General, graduated from the same intake as former Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win and had remained in the rank of Lieutenant General for a decade without promotion. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the National Unity and Peacebuilding Coordination Committee (NSPNC), and with his promotion to General, he is now on equal footing with the new Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo. Of the remaining two senior officers, Major General Soe Hlaing is a graduate of the Teza batch (24) and previously served as the Commander of the Triangle Region Military Command. He was appointed as the Police Chief on March 2nd. He was rapidly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General before completing even three months of his probationary period, and was then appointed to replace Lieutenant General Nay Nay Oo as the Commander of the Special Operations Forces (Commander of Special Operations Forces-3). Similarly, Major General Pyay Sone Linn, a graduate of the Defence Services Academy batch 40, was appointed as the Chief of Air Force Training on March 2nd, having previously served as the Commander of the Yangon Region Military Command, and has now been further promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Military analysts point out that these changes and promotions in the top ranks of the military junta are an attempt by the new Commander-in-Chief General Ye Win Oo to quickly shape a new layer of military leadership that will be loyal to him. "The leaders of the police force (Police Chief), who directly suppress the public, and the air force operations (Chief of Air Force Training) have been rapidly promoted. This indicates that the military junta, which is struggling on the front lines, will increasingly use police forces to suppress urban guerrilla operations and intensify air attacks," a military analyst told the Ayeyarwaddy Times, sharing his views. He further stated, "These promotions are not a display of the military's growing strength, but rather the new Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo is reshaping the military's top echelon to his liking to secure his position." Photo: Social Media Source: Ayeyarwaddy Times