Htun Aung (Burmese: ထွန်းအောင်; pronounced [tʰʊ̀n àʊɴ]; born 1967) is a Burmese air force officer.[1] He currently serves as the 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 (age 57) Burma (now Myanmar) |
| Citizenship | Burmese |
| Alma mater | Defence Services Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Myanmar |
| Branch/service |  Myanmar Air Force |
| Rank |  General |
| Battles/wars | Internal conflict in Myanmar |
Military career
editHtun 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]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Burma-related Designations". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. 31 January 2023.
- ^ "ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး မောင်မောင်ကျော် လေတပ်ဦးစီးချုပ်ရာထူးမှ အနားပေးခံရ". Radio Free Asia (in Burmese). 11 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Military-Corporate conflicts of interest 'inflame' Myanmar's civil wars, rights group says". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Myanmar Air Force Chief Forced to Retire". The Irrawaddy. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Treasury Sanctions Officials and Military-Affiliated Cronies in Burma Two Years after Military Coup". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Air force chief among those removed from posts as junta's reliance on planes and helicopters grows". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "War-Crime Committing Myanmar Junta Air Chief Appointed to Lead ASEAN Body". The Irrawaddy. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Myanmar jet violates airspace". Bangkok Post. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Myanmar Regime Sorry for Junta Jet Intrusion into Thai Airspace". The Irrawaddy. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "AUNG, Htun". Open Sanctions. Retrieved 19 February 2023.