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Myanmar junta releases Ayeyarwady Region’s chief minister, most of cabinet

Ayeyarwady Region’s chief minister, Hla Moe Aung, was released after nearly two years in regime custody on Thursday, days after most other members of his cabinet were also freed, according to sources.

A source close to his family said that he returned to his home village of Thapyay Kone, in Ayeyarwady’s Myanaung Township, on Thursday night after his detention ended earlier in the day.

Others, including most of his cabinet and the chair and vice-chair of the regional parliament, have also been released in recent days, according to regional lawmakers who spoke to Myanmar Now.

“I think they decided to release the ones they couldn’t build a case against and who they thought wouldn’t cause them any trouble,” said Zaw Min Thein, the MP for Ayeyarwady’s Lay Myat Hnar Township.

Among those whose release has been confirmed are electricity minister Win Htay; finance and planning minister Htay Win; immigration minister Dr. Soe Win; Karen affairs minister Ga Moe Myat Myat Thu; and Aung Kyaw Khine and San Htwe, the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the regional parliament.

Dr. Hla Myat Thwe, Ayayarwady Region’s minister of social welfare, remains in junta custody despite the release of other cabinet ministers

The only cabinet minister believed to still be in junta custody is Dr. Hla Myat Thwe, the minister of social welfare, who is reportedly facing charges under the Telecommunications Law for releasing a statement urging government workers to join the Civil Disobedience Movement against military rule.

As in other parts of the country, most members of Ayeyarwady’s elected civilian government were placed in detention during or shortly after the military coup of February 1, 2021.

According to Zaw Min Thein, who is also a member of the anti-regime Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the release of the region’s political leaders is likely due to its relative lack of unrest.

“Ayeyarwady Region has apparently been easier for them to control than other states and regions,” he said of the military, which has faced fierce resistance in much of the country since seizing power.

Saw Albert Cho, a Karen youth activist, agreed, suggesting that the move might also be explained by the junta’s plans to stage elections next year.

“The revolutionary forces are at full strength in other regions, but that’s not the case for Ayeyarwady Region, so it’s easier for the regime to hold an election here. That could be why they released the cabinet members,” he said.

There have also been reports that the junta has begun collecting lists of family members in the region and elsewhere in the country as part of its preparations for the upcoming election.

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