Than Shwe appoints military representatives to parliament

Burma’s Commander in Chief of Defense Services, Senior General Than Shwe, has appointed 388 parliamentary representatives from the military as per constitutional quota, according to an announcement by the Union Election Commission (UEC).

A brigadier general, colonels, lieutenant colonels, majors and captains account for the parliamentary seats. In total, 110 military representatives were appointed to the People’s Parliament, 56 to the National Parliament and 222 to the State/Region Parliament. Of the delegates, 353 are from the army, 19 from the navy and 16 from the air force.

Karen State Peace and Development Council chairman Brigadier General Zaw Min, a graduate from the 56th batch of Officer Training School (OTS) and having served as Deputy Commander of South-East Command, was selected as an MP for the Karen State Parliament.

Similarly, high-ranking officers Colonel Than Aung, from the 64th batch of OTS, Colonel Htay Myint Aung, from the 12th batch of Office Training Course (OTC) and Colonel Aung Thu of the 24th Defense Service Academy batch have also been appointed as MPs of the Kachin, Mon and Shan State Parliaments, respectively.

Further, Colonel Ant Zaw, from the 10th batch of OTC, Colonel Tint San, from the 26th DSA batch and Rangoon Division Tactical Operation Commander Colonel Maung Maung Htoo, from the 11th batch of OTC, have been named as MPs of the Magway Division Parliament, People’s Parliament and National Parliament, respectively.

“The authorities held the elections. And the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won the elections and appointed the military personnel to serve in parliament. They have also privatised many businesses to close associates. So, nothing is left,” assessed Htay Aung, a Burmese military observer in Australia.

The list was announced 11 days ahead of the first parliamentary session, to be held on the final day of January. The primary duty of appointed armed forces representatives is to be military affairs, though during parliamentary sessions they will also be expected to attend meetings and carry out tasks in accordance with orders handed down by the Commander in Chief, who maintains authority to dismiss and replace appointed military representatives.