Myanmar media confirm junta chief retains power

YANGON, Myanmar -A message from Myanmar's junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe appe
ared in state media Tuesday, dispelling reports that he had stepped down from th
e army as part of a major military reshuffle ahead of elections.
The message was a typical note of congratulations to Malaysia on its Independenc
e Day and made no reference to the military reshuffle â the largest in more than a d
ecade. But it was carried on the front page of the country's three official news
papers and the subtext was clear: Than Shwe is still in charge.
The military reshuffle that occurred Friday retired more than a dozen senior lea
ders, though it has yet to be officially announced by the highly secretive junta
. It was an apparent move to prepare for Nov. 7 national elections, the first in
two decades.
Than Shwe has ruled the country since 1992. The rumors of his retirement, along
with that of his second-in-command Maung Aye, suggested they were being groomed
for roles as president and vice president in the new government after elections.
Since military reshuffles are often never formally announced, when rumors of suc
h shifts spread through Myanmar society, citizens carefully follow television an
d news reports to see if leaders are referred to with new titles.
"Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council,
has sent a message of felicitations" to the king of Malaysia to mark the country
's Independence Day, the New Light of Myanmar and other newspapers reported.
The message referred both to Than Shwe's military rank and his title as head of
the ruling junta's government, known as the SPDC, effectively putting to rest re
ports by several media outlets that had reported his resignation last week.
The elections are portrayed by the regime as a key step to shifting to civilian
rule after five decades of military domination, but critics call them a sham and
say the military shows little sign of relinquishing control.
Friday's reshuffle included about two dozen officials, notably the junta's third
- and fourth-ranking generals, Thura Shwe Mann, who served as Joint Chief of Sta
ff, and Tin Aung Myint Oo, who was the army's Quartermaster General, according t
o officials who are close to the military but could not be named because the res
huffle was not formally announced.
It was the second since April, when 27 senior officials, including Prime Ministe
r Gen. Thein Sein, retired from the military.
Under the country's new constitution, 25 percent of the seats in Parliament will
go to military representatives. If retiring generals run for Parliament they wo
uld not be counted in the military's quota although they are likely to enhance t
he army's influence.
The polls will take place without the country's leading opposition party, headed
by detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which says the elections are unf
air and is boycotting them.