Htun Aung
General Htun Aung (Burmese: ထွန်းအောင်; born 1967), also spelt Tun Aung, is a Burmese military officer.[1] He currently serves as commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Air Force.
Htun Aung | |
---|---|
ထွန်းအောင် | |
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Air Force | |
Assumed office 12 January 2022 | |
Leader | Min Aung Hlaing |
Preceded by | Maung Maung Kyaw |
Personal details | |
Born | 1967 56) Burma (now Myanmar) | (age
Alma mater | Defence Services Academy |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Myanmar |
Branch/service | Myanmar Air Force |
Rank | General |
Military career
Htun Aung graduated from the 29th batch of the Defence Services Academy.[2] In 2020, he sat on the board of directors of Myanma Economic Holdings Limited, a military-owned conglomerate.[3]
On 12 January 2022, Htun Aung was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Air Force, succeeding Maung Maung Kyaw, who was forced to retire from the military.[4][5] Prior to his promotion, he served as Maung Maung Kyaw's chief of staff.[6]
In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, the Burmese military has launched airstrikes against anti-regime resistance forces and civilians.[7] On 30 June 2022, under Htun Aung's command, a Burmese fighter jet violated Thai airspace after flying 4–5 kilometres (2.5–3.1 mi) into Phop Phra district in Thailand's Tak province.[8][9] Htun Aung subsequently issued an apology to this Thai counterpart, Napadej Dhupatemiya.[9] The governments of the European Union, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have sanctioned Htun Aung for human rights violations.[10]
References
- "Burma-related Designations". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. 2023-01-31.
- "ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး မောင်မောင်ကျော် လေတပ်ဦးစီးချုပ်ရာထူးမှ အနားပေးခံရ". Radio Free Asia (in Burmese). 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Military-Corporate conflicts of interest 'inflame' Myanmar's civil wars, rights group says". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Myanmar Air Force Chief Forced to Retire". The Irrawaddy. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Treasury Sanctions Officials and Military-Affiliated Cronies in Burma Two Years after Military Coup". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Air force chief among those removed from posts as junta's reliance on planes and helicopters grows". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "War-Crime Committing Myanmar Junta Air Chief Appointed to Lead ASEAN Body". The Irrawaddy. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Myanmar jet violates airspace". Bangkok Post. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "Myanmar Regime Sorry for Junta Jet Intrusion into Thai Airspace". The Irrawaddy. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- "AUNG, Htun". Open Sanctions. Retrieved 2023-02-19.