Mad Dogs and Dictators
By Aung Zaw
Source : The Irrawaddy
March 10, 2002— The arrest of Ne Win’s kin surprised many at home and abroad. Veteran journalists in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that until last Thursday, they had no idea that a crackdown on Ne Win family members had actually taken place."There was not a single piece of information that would have led anyone here to think that the authorities were about to arrest the ‘super power family’", said a journalist working for a foreign news agency in Rangoon.
Ne Win’s son-in-law, Aye Zaw Win, and three of his sons were arrested on Thursday. "Only then did I begin to fathom what was really happening," said another veteran journalist in Rangoon. "It was the first I had heard of this coup conspiracy. It took me completely by surprise."
It appears that the "Old Man" and his family no longer occupy the exalted status they were once presumed by all to have. The arrest clearly indicated that Ne Win no longer has any influence on the current military leaders who were once his subordinates.
Rangoon-based analysts have long suggested that the current leaders were preparing for the post-Ne Win era, and the arrest of his kin is just the first overt sign of the regime’s concern to ensure that his death does not destabilize its hold on power.
This Sunday’s state-run newspaper sold out quickly, as it contained news about the alleged coup conspiracy involving Aye Zaw Win, his sons, and members of the military.Along with surprise, many ordinary people expressed joy at the news that the Ne Win clan, notorious for the misery that it has inflicted on the country, had been brought down to the level of mere mortals.
"I was happy to hear it, because they have caused so much pain for the country," said Rangoon resident Aye Htun. However, it is too early to say what awaits Ne Win himself, or his favorite daughter, Sandar Win. "Current leaders still have respect for him," noted a journalist in Rangoon.
Ne Win and Sandar Win were believed to be under house arrest in the latter’s home, where Ne Win has been living for the past few years. It was also reported that Sandar Win, who has close connections with top military leaders, urgently tried to contact officials for assistance. None, however, could save her from this well-orchestrated operation led by military intelligence.Upon learning of the imminent arrest of her husband and sons, Sandar Win also made a few phone calls to her relatives and friends.
So far, however, the state press has not made any accusations against Sandar Win, who is regarded as a dominant figure in the family. She is also believed to have been Ne Win’s advisor during the army crackdown on the democracy uprising of 1988.
Sandar Win is close to Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). It is not clear, however, if a faction led by Gen Maung Aye, Khin Nyunt’s rival, engineered the arrests. Burma watchers frequently noted that Khin Nyunt and Maung Aye are at loggerheads. Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the feared spy chief who served as an aide-de-camp to Ne Win in the 1980s, was regarded as the closest friend of the Ne Win family until now. However, according to Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, the deputy intelligence chief, there is no power struggle between the top leaders.
A political commentator in Rangoon said that if Khin Nyunt ordered this recent crackdown, he is biting the hands that fed him. But others have noted that he may have had little choice but to back this action, in order to demonstrate that he was not involved in the coup conspiracy. As the country’s intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt presumably had knowledge of this plot long before the regime moved to crush it.
Shady Business Deals
Aye Zaw Win is considered to be a puppet of Sandar Win. He has little direct connection with the army, but has been involved in several lucrative enterprises, including hotels and the GSM mobile phone business. Using her father’s influence, Sandar Win won several business contracts from the government.
The couple is also involved in the telecommunications business. Sky-Link Communications Ltd, a British Virgin Islands-registered company, planned to install a US $144-million mobile phone system in Burma. A local company, Myanmar Sky-Link, was awarded the contract to install the system. The couple has a major share in the company. However, the installation has been delayed due to conflicts among shareholders. The company later was sold to Wa and Chinese businessmen. Subsequently, Win Tin, minister for post and telecommunication, was fired.
Meanwhile, junta leaders have established their own business empire. Over the last 13 years, many of generals’ sons and daughters have been involved in several business projects.
For instance, Sr-Gen Than Shwe’s son, who married to a Thai businesswoman, runs several businesses, including J Donuts and the Sala Thai and Oriental House restaurants.
Ye Naing Win, Khin Nyunt’s son, is also involved in many business deals. According to sources in Rangoon’s Chinatown, Ye Naing Win, who is married to a Singaporean, runs 14 companies in Rangoon. He was recently awarded a US $4 million contract to install hardware and software for a newly constructed IT park in Rangoon.
Maj Gen Kyaw Win said that Ne Win’s family who had long enjoyed special privileges that allowed them to build a sizable business empire, had grown unhappy with the lack of favors now being extended to them.
More Crackdowns to Come?
In addition members of Ne Win’s family, authorities have also arrested a dozen officials, including police chief Col Soe Win, air force chief of staff Myint Swe, and military commander Brig-Gen Chit Than.
According to army sources, Myint Swe, who is in his early 50s, has little interest in politics and no political ambitions. "If they planned to stage a coup, they must have consulted with commanders and powerful army officers in Rangoon," commented a Burmese scholar who studies military affairs. "Who and where they are remains a mystery," he added.
Analysts predict that more arrests of top-ranking officials, including senior members of Ne Win’s former socialist regime, are set to follow. Many of Ne Win’s one-time colleagues attended a lavish ceremony hosted by the aging ex-dictator at Sedona Hotel last year. They included Aye Ko, Myo Nyunt, and Sein Lwin popularly known as "the Butcher" for his role in the massacre of pro-democracy protestors in 1988. Aye Ko was a senior member of the Ne Win regime and Myo Nyunt was a powerful Rangoon army commander.
The irony is that in their crackdown on Ne Win’s family, the current military leaders are using the same excuse that Ne Win adopted when he staged his military coup in 1962. According to Kyaw Win, the deputy intelligence chief, the family had become a threat to "peace and stability". In the final analysis, then, Burmese politics under Ne Win has become a dog-eat-dog business.