The military regime in Myanmar has sentenced three brigadier generals to death for surrendering to rebels who captured Laukkaing, a key town in Shan State, earlier this month, according to local reports.
Three other brigadier generals have been jailed for life, the independent news portal The Irrawaddy quoted junta sources as saying. All six of the senior commanders had been changed with “shamefully abandoning their posts”.
The three men sentenced to death are reportedly being held at Insein Prison in Yangon, sources said.
The fall of Laukkaing, a notorious crime and scam-centre hub on the Chinese border, was the biggest defeat for the junta since it overthrew the elected government of Myanmar in February 2021.
Almost 2,400 troops, including more than 200 officers, surrendered to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Jan 5. The rebel group reportedly sent the soldiers and around 1,600 of their relatives back to the regime.
Sentenced to death were Brig Gen Moe Kyaw Thu, the Laukkaing headquarters chief; Brig Gen Tun Tun Myint, the acting chief of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone; and Brig Gen Zaw Myo Win, the Division 55 commander, according to junta sources.
The harsh penalties were intended to deter other commanders from surrendering their strongholds, former army captain Kaung Thu Win, who joined the civil disobedience movement after the coup, told The Irrawaddy.
The army has been under intense pressure since the so-called Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 across northern Shan State on Oct 27 last year. The alliance includes the MNDAA as well as the Arakan Army and Ta’ang National Liberation Army.
So far, the alliance claims to have seized over 500 junta bases, including several headquarters, 17 towns and key trade routes with China across northern Shan State.
The military said earlier this month that it had agreed to a “temporary ceasefire” with the alliance at a China-mediated meeting.
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