The head of Yangon’s General Administration Department, who also serves as the military council’s secretary for the region, was arrested along with a personal staff officer on Monday evening, a source close to the junta’s regional administration said.
The individual claimed that military intelligence officers would be interrogating Soe Soe Zaw, who is in his 60s.
“This might have something to do with the case of the former chief minister,” the source told Myanmar Now, referring to Hla Soe, the ousted junta-appointed head of Yangon Region’s military council.
The former chief minister was removed from his position earlier this year after the junta uncovered an alleged corruption case concerning a land development project in Dala Township. Hla Soe and his commerce minister Aung Than Oo, as well as Yangon mayor Bo Htay, are currently the subjects of an investigation by the military.
The project developers reportedly include relatives of retired general Hla Htay Win, who is also a former head of the Yangon Region Military Command, and is said to be close to Hla Soe.
The former chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee for Yangon’s ousted regional parliament also confirmed Soe Soe Zaw’s recent arrest, and speculated that it could be related to his known professional ties to Hla Soe.
“[Soe Soe Zaw] didn’t partake in the Civil Disobedience Movement when the coup happened, so it was assumed that he was on the military’s side, but he tried to stay on good terms with us when we still worked in the parliament,” the former committee chair said, adding, “I think the arrest has something to do with the lawsuit against his former boss, Hla Soe.”
The military has released no further information on the arrests or accusations.
Soe Soe Zaw is the second secretary from one of the junta’s regional administration teams to be arrested since the February 2021 coup. Win Shein, who held the position on Magway, was also arrested earlier this month regarding a leaked audio recording of a meeting.
