By Katarawaddy Times
Nothing will change for the people of Karenni State after the appointment of the new state chief minister by the regime’s State Administration Council (SAC), according to the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), a civilian resistance group that’s been fighting the dictatorship since May last year.
”Whatever changes they make, their actions will continue to go against the true wishes of the people,” the KNDF spokesperson told Katarawaddy Times, explaining that the reappointment was likely due to conflicts within SAC’s inner circle.
After the military stole power from the democratic government during the coup on 1 February last year, SAC was installed to run the country and appointed Khin Maung Oo (also known as Bu Reh ) as Chief Minister of Karenni State. Zaw Myo Tin took the reins at the beginning of the month.
“Nobody likes the military junta and they’ll oppose anyone who’s appointed chief minister of Kayah (Karenni) State,” says Khu Daniel of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), whose armed wing, the Karenni Army, is fighting the regime along with the KNDF.
Zaw Myo Tin, who attended Military Academy Intake 32, was appointed to the Karenni State Parliament while a colonel in 2016 and later rose to become the Minister of Security and Border Affairs at the state level. He was later promoted to brigadier general and commanded the Loikaw Regional Military Command. Eventually, Zaw Myo Tin was appointed major general, served in the Naypyitaw War Office and became commander of the office before the coup. Last September, he was promoted to lieutenant general and was in charge of training the army.
