Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance Calls on Northeast Command Chief to Surrender

Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance Calls on Northeast Command Chief to Surrender

The ethnic Brotherhood Alliance has called on Northeastern Command chief Brigadier-General Soe Hlaing to surrender along with his forces, sources told The Irrawaddy.

Soe Hlaing replaced Major-General Soe Tint as Northeast Command chief last month after the northern Shan capital of Lashio, where the command is based, was attacked by the alliance’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and allied groups.

Soe Hlaing was commanding the defense of Northeastern Command from Muse, some 160 km north of Lashio, when the command headquarters fell into the hands of the MNDAA on August 3.

The MNDAA has placed former command chief Soe Tint under house arrest at command headquarters, reports 'The Irrawaddy'.   

Soe Hlaing is now directing Northeastern Command operations from Muse, a major regional trade hub on the border with China.

“The Brotherhood Alliance phoned the commander directly and asked him to surrender to avoid loss of life and property in Muse town,” the source told The Irrawaddy.

Muse is one of the few junta strongholds left in northern Shan State after the Brotherhood Alliance overran dozens of towns and battalions during its Operation 1027 offensive launched late last year.

Since the operation resumed in late June following a China-brokered ceasefire, the alliance has seized Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Nawnghkio and the northern Shan State capital Lashio, as well as Madaya and Mogoke towns in Mandalay Region.

The alliance now wants to capture Muse, say observers, but the town’s proximity to the Chinese border means it cannot carry out large-scale attacks there. Hence the call on Soe Hlaing to surrender.

If Soe Hlaing accepts the offer, he will become the highest-ranking military officer to surrender during the three years of armed resistance since the 2021 coup.

Soe Hlaing graduated as part of the 42nd intake of the Defense Services Academy. He previously served as chief of the 99th Light Infantry Division.

Military observers say generals from the 42nd intake are notorious for rising through the ranks not because of their ability but because they know how to bribe and flatter their seniors, and that few have combat experience even after becoming battalion commanders.