Senior General Than Shwe Was Responsible for Christie Island Massacre

8/2/2019 Senior General Than Shwe Was Responsible for Christie Island Massacre

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SENIOR GENERALTHAN SHWE WASRESPONSIBLE FOR CHRISTIE ISLANDMASSACRE AND DEPAYIN MASSACRE NLD


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New Army Chief Supported ChristieIsland MassacreBy KO HTWE Thursday, September 2, 2010

Lt-Gen Myint Aung, the army's adjutant general, who has reportedly been appointed

as the future commander-in-chief in the recent reshuffle, supported the decision to


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kill 81 innocent civilians on Christie Island near Thai territorial waters, according to

Aung Lynn Htut, a former military intelligence officer and Charge d Affaires in

Washington DC.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on

Wednesday, Aung Lynn Htut, who was

a military intelligence officer with the

joint force involved in the operation,

said: After [then Commodore and later

Vice Admiral] Kyi Min, received the

order [to kill the villagers], he said he

thought [Vice Snr Gen] Maung Ayemight have given the order when he

was drunk and he would confirm it the

next morning."

"When Kyi Min discussed the order with

[Lt-Gen] Myint Swe and [Lt-Gen] Myint

Aung, Myint Swe said nothing but Myint

Aung supported the decision to kill the

victims, saying it was an order and they

should just obey it without bothering to

confirm it," he said.

Myint Aung was then serving as Brig Gen Commander of No (13) Military Operation

Command in Bok Pyin in Tanintharyi Division.

In April 1998, after receiving reports about arms smugglers from the Indian military,a joint Burmese air, navy and army operation took place on Christie Island.

59 people from nearby villages including children, newly-born babies and a pregnant

women were arrested. One month later they were killed and their bodies buried at

the direct order of Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Two days later, 22 Thai fishermen who were lost near Christie Island were also

arrested, killed and their boat sunk, according to Aung Lynn Htut.

Lt-Gen Myint Aung, the newly appointed

commander-in-chief. (Photo: The

Irrawaddy)


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I had to follow orders and couldn't countermand them, Aung Lynn Htut said,

remembering the victims and wanting to do whatever he could for them.

According to a statement previously released by Aung Lynn Htut, Colonel Zaw Min,

now serving as minister for the No. 1 Electric Power Department and former joint

secretary general of the Union Solidarity Development Association, Lt-Col Soe Tin,

Lt-Col Win Swe and Navy Lt Commander Aung Gyi were directly involved in the

killings.

Lt Commander Aung Gyi was also the commander of the Burmese navy force that

killed the Thai fishermen on the order of Than Shwe.

Speaking of the recent military reshuffle, Aung Lynn Htut said moving top military

officials in the Burmese military leadership aimed at perpetuating Than Shwe's

power by removing officers close to his main rival, Vice-Snr Gen Maung Aye, deputy

commander in chief.

Recently, the junta's third and fourth ranking generals, Lt-Gen Shwe Mann and Lt-

Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo, both quit their military positions and new officers close to

Than Shwe below the age of 60 have replaced them.

Aung Lynn Htut said: Than Shwe will remove anyone he thinks threatens him. No

one can oppose him. He can do whatever he wants in both political and military

spheres.

He pointed out that two officers close to Maung Aye were replaced. Lt-Gen Ye Myint,

the former Chief of Military Affairs Security and the regime's negotiator with the

cease-fire armed ethnic groups who once served as Maung Aye's personal assistant

was replaced by Maj-Gen Kyaw Swe, and Air Defense Chief Lt-Gen Myint Hlaing, who

is close to Maung Aye, was replaced by Maj-Gen Sein Win.

The newly appointed officers have no information about how former officials dealt

with the ethnic armed groups nor about dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung

San Suu Kyi, he said.


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"Former dictator Gen Ne Win reshuffled his commanders in the military every 3-5

years and Than Shwe is following in his footsteps," said Win Htein, a former captain

in the Burmese armed forces and personal assistant to Suu Kyi.

High ranking commanders who are left in their posts for too long can build up

power, so they are frequently rotated," he said.

"The reshuffle was not made out of state interests," he said, adding that it also

served as a redeployment in preparation for the election.

I don't detect any dissent in the army. They just have to follow orders and let

themselves be moved around, he said.


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Christie IslandChristie Island[1] is an island in the Mergui Archipelago and the southernmost point ofBurma (Myanmar). It lies at the southern end of the archipelago 18 km to the NNE

of Ko Surin Nuea and the Thai-Burmese oceanic border is located between the two

islands.

Christie Island is 4.6 km long and has several peaks on it covered with thick forest.

The highest one is 325 m high. Murray Island and Sanders Island are two small

rocky islets off its southern shores. Christie Island is part of the Alladin Islands

subgroup.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_Island#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mergui_Archipelagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Surin_Nueahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Surin_Nueahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mergui_Archipelagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_Island#cite_note-0

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Senior General Than Shwe Was Responsible for Christie Island Massacre