Htun Aung

In this Burmese name, the given name is Htun Aung. There is no family name.
His Excellency
General
Zayya Kyawhtin
Htun Aung
ထွန်းအောင်
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Air Force
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 January 2022
LeaderMin Aung Hlaing
Preceded byMaung Maung Kyaw
Personal details
Born1967 (1967) (age 58)
Burma (now Myanmar)
CitizenshipBurmese
Alma materDefence Services Academy
Military service
Allegiance Myanmar
Branch/service Myanmar Air Force
Rank General
Battles/warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

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.

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Burma-related Designations". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. 31 January 2023.
  2. ^ "ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး မောင်မောင်ကျော် လေတပ်ဦးစီးချုပ်ရာထူးမှ အနားပေးခံရ". Radio Free Asia (in Burmese). 11 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Military-Corporate conflicts of interest 'inflame' Myanmar's civil wars, rights group says". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Myanmar Air Force Chief Forced to Retire". The Irrawaddy. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Officials and Military-Affiliated Cronies in Burma Two Years after Military Coup". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Air force chief among those removed from posts as junta's reliance on planes and helicopters grows". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  7. ^ "War-Crime Committing Myanmar Junta Air Chief Appointed to Lead ASEAN Body". The Irrawaddy. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Myanmar jet violates airspace". Bangkok Post. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Myanmar Regime Sorry for Junta Jet Intrusion into Thai Airspace". The Irrawaddy. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. ^ "AUNG, Htun". Open Sanctions. Retrieved 19 February 2023.