Myanmar Army Chief to get extension

Myanmar’s powerful Army chief Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy are slated to ext-end their terms for another five years, a local newspaper said on Saturday, as the military and democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi negotiate the terms of transition.

The move means Min Aung Hlaing has consolidated his power base am-ong the military leadership and would allow the Army to avoid a top-level reshuffle at this sensitive period. It will also boost Mr Hlaing’s position in talks with Ms Suu Kyi. Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) defeated Army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in the November election, kicking off a lengthy transition that will end on April 1 when the new government’s term begins.

The NLD’s massive election win means it will be able to push through its presidential candidate during a vote in Parliament on March 17. Still, it has to deal with the military, which is guaranteed 25 per cent of seats in Parliament and three security ministries under the junta-drafted Constitution. Details of the talks between the NLD and the Army remain murky.

“Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who is turning 60 soon, will take the duty of the commander-in-chief for five more years,” said the Voice newspaper, citing a military source based in the country’s capital Naypyitaw. It added that Mr Hlaing’s deputy, Soe Win, will also get a five-year extension.

“The decisions were announced at the recent quarterly meeting of top-level military officials,” said the paper citing the same source. The Voice is typically correct when it comes to news on Myanmar’s military. Military sources contacted by Reuters were not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s outgoing President has scrapped a planned trip to the US next week in order to oversee the power hand-off to Ms Suu Kyi’s new government.

Thein Sein was due to attend a summit for leaders from the 10-nation Asean bloc.