In the Burmese Army, where corruption is a way of life, in a rare instance, a battalion commander of Burma’s Northeastern Military command has been arrested and interrogated. His property has been seized, a source in the military said.
Lt-Col Kyi Aung, Commander of Light Infantry Battalion No.123 (LIB-123), based in Nam Hpak sub-township in Kutkai Township under the Lashio based Northeastern Military Command, was arrested on September 2 by a military team led by Kutkai strategic commander Col. San Shwe Tha. Kyi Aung. He is said to be held in the division command in Lashio and is being interrogated.

Kyi Aung was probed and arrested for alleged corruption reports and complaints to the Army higher-ups. Authorities seized all his property, sources close to the LIB- 123 said.

One of the complaints against Kyi Aung alleged that the commander in May had taken bribe from the Kachin Defence Army’s business in-charge over the seizure of a huge cache of assorted drugs.

Col San Shwe Tha, who led the probe into Kyi Aung’s case, has been posted as the strategic commander in Kutkai since 2001 and has reportedly played a key role in exposing corruption cases of several other border security officials in the past. While San Shwe Tha is famous for getting rid of rival officers, sources said Kyi Aung’s case is widely believed to be based on specific complaints.