Myanmar’s security forces arrested Nay Soe Maung, son-in-law of former longtime military ruler Than Shwe, for allegedly posting inflammatory statements on his Facebook account, state-run media reported Thursday.
Nay Soe Maung is currently the head of Mingalardon Hospital and a retired military general. His father is General Tin Sein. Nay Soe Maung is said to reside in Mayangon Township, Yangon, but he was arrested at 6 PM in Pyigyidagun Township, Mandalay Division. In a Facebook post on October 7, Nay Soe Maung expressed his condolences in response to the news about the death of the political prisoner and former chief minister of Mandalay Region, Zaw Myint Maung, due to leukemia. In the message, Nay Soe Maung expressed his regret for not being able to provide proper medical care and conveyed a wish that can be translated as, “May you be reborn in a fair and independent nation where every person is treated with human dignity.”
According to local media, there has been tension between retired military generals and the current military forces who took over power after Myanmar’s February 2021 coup. Relatedly, the State Administrative Council (SAC) arrested former military officer and presidential spokesman Ye Htut last year. Ye Htut was later sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The announcement is in the regular format used by the Ministry of Information run by the SAC to inform of the arrest of several Facebook account owners who are accused of being associated with the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and National Unity Government (NUG). CRPH and NUG were declared terrorist groups under Section 6, sub-sections (e), Section 72, and sub-sections (b) of the Counter-Terrorism Law in May 2021.
Such announcements are made regularly after the arrest of several Facebook account owners and include a reminder of the SAC’s declaration made on January 25, 2022 about the charges under section 52(a) of the Counter-terrorism Law as amended on 1 August 2021, section 124(a) and section 505(a) of the Penal Code as amended on in May 2021, and section 33(a) of the News Media Law enacted in May 2024. Since the coup in February 2021, the SAC has broadened the scope of several offenses to include any kind of political activism that can threaten their rule.
