Htun Aung

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Htun Aung
ထွန်းအောင်
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Air Force
Assumed office
12 January 2022
LeaderMin Aung Hlaing
Preceded byMaung Maung Kyaw
Personal details
Born1967 (1967) (age 57)
Burma (now Myanmar)
Alma materDefence Services Academy
Military service
Allegiance Myanmar
Branch/serviceMyanmar Air Force
RankGeneral

General Htun Aung (Burmese: ထွန်းအောင်; born 1967), also spelt Tun Aung, is a Burmese military officer.[1] He currently serves as commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Air Force.

Military career[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Burma-related Designations". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. 2023-01-31.
  2. ^ "ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး မောင်မောင်ကျော် လေတပ်ဦးစီးချုပ်ရာထူးမှ အနားပေးခံရ". Radio Free Asia (in Burmese). 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  3. ^ "Military-Corporate conflicts of interest 'inflame' Myanmar's civil wars, rights group says". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  4. ^ "Myanmar Air Force Chief Forced to Retire". The Irrawaddy. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  5. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Officials and Military-Affiliated Cronies in Burma Two Years after Military Coup". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  6. ^ "Air force chief among those removed from posts as junta's reliance on planes and helicopters grows". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  7. ^ "War-Crime Committing Myanmar Junta Air Chief Appointed to Lead ASEAN Body". The Irrawaddy. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  8. ^ "Myanmar jet violates airspace". Bangkok Post. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  9. ^ a b "Myanmar Regime Sorry for Junta Jet Intrusion into Thai Airspace". The Irrawaddy. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  10. ^ "AUNG, Htun". Open Sanctions. Retrieved 2023-02-19.