March 31 (Reuters) – When Myanmar’s military ousted a democratically elected government in a dawn coup on February 1, 2021, Ye Win Oo led the contingent of troops that arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner and the country’s then leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
On Monday, the 60-year-old general was appointed the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military, which has dominated domestic politics for decades, catapulting the former spymaster into one of the most powerful offices in the country.
The key factor in Ye Win Oo’s selection – the first intelligence chief to rise to the top – is his close proximity and loyalty to the outgoing commander, Min Aung Hlaing, according to six people, including diplomats, analysts and a defector.
A junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Although he has shed his uniform, Min Aung Hlaing is poised to become Myanmar’s president, following a general election in December and January that was widely derided as a sham to help the ruling generals retain their grip on power.
“Min Aung Hlaing has chosen to hand over power to his most trusted inner circle loyalist,” said Naung Yoe, a major who defected from the military in 2021 following the coup, which plunged Myanmar into civil war.
Naung Yoe and Naing Min Khant, an analyst at the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar think tank, also confirmed Ye Win Oo’s personal involvement in the arrest of Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old politician who the military then tried in secret and jailed.
“He appointed Ye Win Oo so that he can maintain influence and authority, and continue to dominate the military through someone who listens to him,” said Naung Yoe, referring to Min Aung Hlaing, who will need the military’s assistance and protection as he transitions to a political role.
PATRONAGE AND PROMOTIONS
Unlike many other high-ranking officers who graduated from the elite Defence Services Academy, Ye Win Oo attended the Officer Training School, serving his early years in infantry battalions before taking on more senior command positions in Myanmar’s central areas.
It was during his time as a colonel in the regional command headquartered in the commercial capital Yangon that Ye Win Oo entered Min Aung Hlaing’s orbit, a relationship further strengthened by the ties between their families, according to an Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar analysis.
Ye Win Oo’s subsequent ascent through the ranks, leading to his appointment in 2020 as the Chief of Military Security Affairs, overseeing intelligence and interrogation operations, could not have been possible without Min Aung Hlaing’s backing, according to two analysts.
“General Ye Win Oo has gained significant power through Min Aung Hlaing’s patronage, serving as a vital pillar for the leader’s grip on power,” said Naing Min Khant.
A wily political player with a fine-tuned sense for managing military elites, Min Aung Hlaing has often prioritised important positions for loyalists, while occasionally detaining senior officers as a way to control potential rivals, Reuters has reported.
It was during his time as intelligence chief that Ye Win Oo made a name for himself, especially when his unit was able to largely bring to heel anti-junta guerrillas in major urban areas, said a Myanmar analyst who is in contact with military officials.
“Under his supervision, the intelligence operations relatively improved,” the analyst said, asking not to be named because of the subject’s sensitivity.
However, U.N. investigators have accused Myanmar’s security forces of systematic torture, killing and other serious abuses during interrogations and in detention facilities.
“These include beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, and torture by pulling out fingernails with pliers,” the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said in a report last year.
Although generals from Myanmar’s military intelligence unit are notorious for their brutality and ruthlessness, the early part of Ye Win Oo’s command will probably be closely aligned to the needs of Min Aung Hlaing and his potential presidency.
“For at least two years, the commander-in-chief will be compliant to the president,” the analyst said, adding that any major overhaul of the military’s war doctrine was also unlikely even as it continues to battle armed groups across wide swathes of the country.
“We won’t see any radical or critical changes from the status quo.”
(Reporting by Reuters staff and Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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