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Brig Gen. Ohm Myint to take charge of the USDA for upcoming elections in Mon State
Tue 04 Nov 2008,
IMNA
Officials in Burma’s capital city, Naypyidaw, have put Brigadier General Ohm Myint, in charge of the Union Solidarity and Development Association in Mon State. Though the move has not been publicized yet, he has been given responsibility for group’s participation in upcoming elections, says an IMNA source in the Mon State USDA.
The USDA was formed in 1993, under the patronage of Senior General Than Shwe. It is widely expected to form two political parties, the National Security and Development Party and the National Prosperity Party, and contest an upcoming general election scheduled for 2010.
Recent events seem to confirm the IMNA source, as Ohm Myint made a goodwill visit to Mon State in October. Though the general has not begun mobilizing residents, he did visit education departments, hospitals and other administrative departments in an attempt to boost morale.
“He came to schools and gave some equipment to them. But in our department he didn't visit like that,” said a civil servant in Mon State. During his visit at the start of October, Ohm Myint attended an annual USDA meeting, and honored schools whose students did exceptionally well on their 10th standard exams. At the ceremony, Ohm Myint and the commander of the Southeast Command gave one million kyat to the high schools who got the high score among over ninety high schools.
A decade ago, Ohm Myint earned infamy in Mon State when he commanded Infantry Battallion No. 106. The battalion burnt down a section of the Halockhanee refugee camp in 1994. After a fighting with troops from Mon National Liberation Army, he ordered Baleh-donephai village to be burnt just two months after Mon refugees moved there under pressure from Thai authorities. The Brig. Gen. was also known to conscript villagers as porters, and detained a Mon teacher for two years for being a supporter of the New Mon State Party, the political group with which the MNLA is affiliated.
Later, Ohm Myint was promoted to Chief Commander of the Northern Military Command in Myint-kyi-na. After that, he was in command of the Coastal Regional Command in Mergui, of Tenasserim Division. Most recently, he holds the position of Minister in the Ministry of Mining.
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