Myint Hlaing (; born 13 August 1953) was the Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of

Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

from 2011 to 2016. He is a retired lieutenant general in the

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...

and Chief of the Air Defence Forces from May 2006 to August 2010. He also served as Commander of Northeast Regional Command based in Lashio, Shan State.

Early life and education

Myint Hlaing was born on 13 August 1953 in

Mogok Mogok (, ; Shan language, Shan: , ) is a town of around 90,000 people in the Thabeikkyin District of Mandalay Region of Myanmar, located north of Mandalay and north-east of Shwebo, Sagaing, Shwebo. History Mogok is believed to be founded in ...

Mandalay Division Mandalay Region (, ; formerly Mandalay Division) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the east, and Bago Region and Kayin State ...

. He graduated from the 17th intake of the

Defence Services Academy The Defence Services Academy (, ) located in Pyin Oo Lwin, is the premier military service academy of Myanmar, training future officers for all three branches of Myanmar military. The Ministry of Defence administered academy offers bachelor's d ...

in 1975. He is a close associate of former SPDC Vice Senior General

Maung Aye Maung Aye (; ; born 25 December 1937) is a retired Burmese army general who played a significant role in Myanmar's military government. He served as Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military junta of M ...

, having served under him in the

Tatmadaw The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...

’s Eastern Command during the late 1980s. In 1995, Myint Hlaing attended military training in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

, China.

Political career and arrest

Myint Hlaing served as the chairman of the

Naypyidaw Naypyidaw (), officially Romanization of Burmese, romanized as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital city, capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's ...

chapter of the

Union Solidarity and Development Party The Union Solidarity and Development Party (; abbr. USDP) is an ultranationalist, pro-military political party in Myanmar. Alongside the National League for Democracy, it is one of Myanmar's two principal national parties. USDP is the succe ...

until 2022. On April 10, 2024, Myint Hlaing was arrested following a military raid at his home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myint Hlaing Burmese generals People from Mandalay Region 1953 births Living people Agriculture ministers of Myanmar Defence Services Academy alumni