MYANMAR MILITARY RESHUFFLE AMID FUEL, HUMANITARIAN WOES

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, March 31 (Bernama) -- Myanmar’s military reshuffled its top leadership on Monday amid a worsening fuel shortage and humanitarian crisis, underscoring mounting pressures on the country’s economy.

Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who has helmed the country since the army coup in February 2021, handed over his reins to General Ye Win Oo on Monday.

With the handover, Ye Win Oo assumes the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services. 

“As long as the world exists, Myanmar must exist, and the Tatmadaw (armed forces) must exist as long as Myanmar exists,” Min Aung Hlaing said during the handover of his military duties in Nay Pyi Taw, as reported by state media The Global New Light of Myanmar.

The Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, has nominated the 69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing as one of three vice presidents, a move that could pave the way for him to become the next civilian president of the Southeast Asian nation of over 50 million people.

Lawmakers are expected to elect the new president through a vote next month. 

The political shift comes at a crucial time as Myanmar, like many oil- and gas-dependent economies, is grappling with rising fuel costs following regional tensions in West Asia.

As of mid-March, petrol prices have increased by 12 per cent while diesel rose by 23 per cent. State media reported that the country’s petrol reserves are estimated to last for about 40 days, while diesel reserves are expected to last for 50 days.

The government has introduced various fuel-saving measures, including an odd-even system for the use of motor vehicles and motorcycles and the implementation of QR codes for fuel purchases. Government staff are required to work from home every Wednesday.

The ongoing internal crisis has also drawn international concern.

On March 27, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said the West Asia crisis is further burdening families struggling to recover from the massive earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 last year.  

“People who survived the earthquake have barely begun to stand again, and now another blow is knocking them back down. 

“This new wave of global instability is hitting Myanmar at the worst possible moment,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Country Director and Representative in Myanmar, in a statement issued a day before the first anniversary of the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed almost 3,800 people.

-- BERNAMA