Myanmar's state radio and television announced yesterday that Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt has been replaced by a hardline member of the country's ruling military junta, Lieutenant General Soe Win.
The brief announcement said Khin Nyunt was "permitted to retire for health reasons," a euphemism used in the past for the forced ouster of Cabinet members.
PHOTO: AP
The radio said Soe Win would become the new prime minister, moving from his high-ranking post of secretary-1 of the junta, which is officially called the State Peace and Development Council.
Both announcements were signed by the junta's supreme leader, Senior General Than Shwe.
Khin Nyunt, also head of military intelligence, had a reputation as a relative moderate compared to the more hardline generals who were his seniors.
Soe Win, 56, is believed to espouse a hard line in dealing with the country's pro-democracy movement, led by detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and the country's foreign critics who want the army to hand over power to an elected government.
Soe Win is a former military commander of Myanmar's Sagaing region in the northwest who became air defense chief in November 2001.
He joined the junta as secretary-2 in February 2003, and was promoted to secretary-1 in an August 2003 Cabinet shake-up, replacing Khin Nyunt, who became prime minister.
Khin Nyunt's move to the prime minister's post last year was interpreted by some as a gesture toward reconciliation with the pro-democracy movement, while other analysts thought Soe Win's promotion was more significant.
He is believed by some diplomats and government critics to have been involved in a May 2003 attack on Suu Kyi and her followers in northern Myanmar by a mob of government supporters. Suu Kyi has been detained since the attack.
Yesterday's announcement said Soe Win would be succeeded as secretary-1 by Lieutenant General Thein Sein, moving up a step in the junta's hierarchy.
No announcement was made of who would replace Khin Nyunt in the influential post of military intelligence chief.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
RSS