Shwe Mann Out of Favor?

Although groomed to take over as commander in chief of

the Burmese armed forces, Joint Chief of Staff Gen Shwe
Mann is suddenly keeping a low profile, according to
military sources and businessmen in Rangoon.
The former regional commander of Irrawaddy Division,
who was promoted to general in 2003, is reportedly
distancing himself from other military leaders as rivalry for
the leadership succession intensifies.

Sources said that Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Vice Snr-Gen

Maung Aye have received complaints from senior officers
about the Shwe Mann family’s growing business empire
and alleged favoritism toward his sons. Shwe Mann began
backtracking when his family’s business dealings were
exposed by the exiled media, including The Irrawaddy,
and by his business associates. Two of his sons, Aung Thet
Mann and Toe Naing Mann, run the Ayer Shwe Wah rice-
exporting company, which is closely linked to Htoo
Trading Company, owned by Burma’s most prominent
businessman, Tay Za. Both companies and their directors
are on the US sanctions list.

Shwe Mann was never previously involved in business, but

lobbied the government for his sons to receive concessions,
as well as import and export licenses. In 2000, Ayer Shwe
Wah acquired more than 30,000 acres of wetlands and rice
paddy in the Irrawaddy delta region. The company also
received lucrative government contracts to supply
fertilizers to farmers throughout the delta and has been
involved in construction projects in the administrative
capital, Naypyidaw.

Shwe Mann (Illustration: Harn Lay/The Irrawaddy)

Four Rising Stars

Military sources have reported that there are four army officers favored by Snr-Gen Than Shwe who could potentially
become commander in chief of Burma’s armed forces: Lt-Gen Myint Swe, head of the Bureau of Special Operations (5) and
a member of the ruling junta; Lt-Gen Myint Hlaing, the air defense chief; Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, commander of the
Triangle Region Command; and Gen Thura Myint Aung, currently serving as adjutant general at the Defense Ministry.

Although Myint Swe has an advantage thanks to his close personal ties to Than Shwe and his wife, the other contenders
also warrant close attention. Thura Myint Aung was formerly posted in Irrawaddy Division as the commander of the
Southeast Regional Command—a position that often leads to promotion to the top post. Min Aung Hlaing, who has
recently appeared in state-run newspapers and has held a series of meetings with ceasefire groups in northern Shan State,
also looks like a serious candidate for the position.

The reports follow the apparent fall from grace of Gen Thura Shwe Mann, whose two sons’ high-profile business activities
have attracted the disapproving attention of Than Shwe and his deputy, army chief Gen Maung Aye.