Thein Aung (; 1965 — 4 November 2021) was a Burmese business executive who was the

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

(CFO) of Myanmar's major telecommunications company,

Mytel Mytel is a major telecommunications company in Myanmar (Burma), as one of four national carriers. Mytel is operated as a joint venture between the Tatmadaw, Burmese military and Viettel, which is owned by Vietnam's Ministry of Defence (Vietnam), M ...

. He was a retired major in

Myanmar Navy The Myanmar Navy (; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. With 19,000 active personnel, the navy operates more than 227 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counterinsurgency, counte ...

, held leadership positions in multiple military-owned ventures, including as the general manager of the conglomerate

Myanmar Economic Corporation The Myanmar Economic Corporation (; abbreviated MEC) is one of the two major conglomerate (company), conglomerates and holding companies operated by the Tatmadaw, Burmese military, the other being the Myanma Economic Holdings Limited. The U.S. Tre ...

and its subsidiary Star High Co., Ltd.

Career

During his military career he was a personal assistant to the former Myanmar navy chief. He was also reportedly close to the current chief, Admiral

Moe Aung Moe Aung (; ; born 1966) is a Burmese naval admiral who currently serves as the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy. He was appointed to this position following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat, succeeding Admiral Tin Aung San, who transitioned ...

, as they are both from the same batch at the military academy. He retired from the military service with the rank of major and joined the military businesses. Thein Aung had served on the board of multiple military owned businesses, including the Star High Group and the Star High company, Jewels of Angels, Golden Majestic Star Mobile, Agro Pack and

Telecom International Myanmar Telecom may refer to: * Telecommunications ** A telecommunications company ** The telecommunications industry * Telecom Animation Film, a Japanese studio See also * Telcom (disambiguation) * Telekom (disambiguation) * List of telecommunications ...

. He joined Mytel as a member of the board of directors in 2018 and served as the CFO of the company until 2019 when he resigned. Following the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

, anti-regime forces have increasingly targeted Myanmar military-linked businesses, Thein Aung was their most high-profile victim at the time of his death.

Death

On 4 November 2021, he and his wife Theint Aung Thu were shot dead by an unidentified man as they were leaving their house to walk at around 7:30 am. He died on the spot after being shot four times, and his wife was seriously injured. Some 150 military troops began a search of the township in the hours after his death. Some 20 young people living in a hostel in Mayangone Township were reportedly arrested on the evening of November 4.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thein Aung 1965 births 2021 deaths Burmese businesspeople Burmese military personnel Deaths by firearm in Myanmar