GOB "PERMITS" EIGHT DEPUTY MINISTERS TO RETIRE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000846

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON PREL BM
SUBJECT: GOB "PERMITS" EIGHT DEPUTY MINISTERS TO RETIRE

REF: RANGOON 650

RANGOON 00000846 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Poloff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOB announced on June 16 the "retirement"
of eight deputy ministers and one Supreme Court justice.
Five of the retiring deputy ministers were military officers
and two were ex-military. The GOB has not announced their
replacements yet, but these retirements will create space for
other flag-rank military officers to change positions. END
SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On June 16, the GOB announced on national television
it had "granted permission" for eight deputy ministers and
one Supreme Court justice to retire. This followed the May
cabinet reshuffle that divided one ministry and added four
Major Generals to cabinet-level posts (reftel). The retirees
are: Brigadier General Aung Thein and U Thein Sein of the
Ministry of Information; U Myint Thein of the Ministry of
Mines; Brigadier General Soe Win Maung of the Ministry of
Culture; Brigadier General Than Tun of the Ministry for
Progress of Border Areas; Brigadier General Thein Tun of the
Ministry of Industry-1; U Pe Than of the Ministry of
Transport; Major General Khin Maung Win of the Ministry of
Defense; and Supreme Court Justice U Khin Maung Aye. Two
were retired military officers now deemed "civilians."


3. (U) The only retiree among the eight deputy ministers
without a military background was U Myint Thein, a civilian
geologist who served as managing director of one of the GOB's
three mining enterprises before he became Deputy Minister of
Mines. U Pe Than, the Deputy Ministry of Transport, was a
retired navy commander who had oversight of port security.


4. (C) Brigadier General Aung Thein served over a decade as a
Deputy Minister of Information and was formerly a Director of
Psychological Warfare in the Ministry of Defense. As
Secretary of the SPDC's Information Committee, he played a

SIPDIS
key role in crafting the regime's propaganda.


5. (C) The other retired Deputy Minister of Information, U
Thein Sein, a former military officer and SPDC member, was
another of the regime's veteran propagandists. He authored
many pro-regime articles under the pseudonym "Min Ye Kaung
Bon." U Thein Sein also assisted the SPDC with the National
Convention process and was an active promoter of the SPDC's
"Seven-step road map" at Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA) meetings around the country. He is
expected to retain his position as a member of the USDA's
Central Executive Committee.

THE NUMBERS GAME


6. (C) Recently, the USDA has taken the lead in coercing
local communities, particular in rural and ethnic regions to
stage mass resignations of former National League for
Democracy (NLD) members. The USDA claims it has as many as
22 million members, while regime media regularly highlight
individual resignations from the NLD and other opposition
parties. USDA General Secretary Htay Oo recently said that
the USDA could easily transform into a political party. The
USDA reportedly has instructed its cadres to identify five
influential USDA members from every township who could serve
as future political candidates.


7. (C) COMMENT: Most of these resignations are no surprise.
Deputy minister positions are generally seen as retirement
tours for officers leaving their military commands, where
real power in Burma lies. Although most of the outgoing
officials had already attained the GOB's official retirement
age of 60, pressure from military officers whose promotions

RANGOON 00000846 002.2 OF 002


were overdue may have precipitated the timing of these new
"resignations." The SPDC is expected to name their
replacements soon from the ranks of military officers in line
to be kicked upstairs. END COMMENT.
STOLTZ