Min Aung Hlaing has awarded a first-class technology excellence medal to Brigadier General Myat Min Oo, Director of the Military Information and Technology Department, who helped facilitate the military coup by falsely claiming irregularities in the 2020 election results. The award ceremony was held at the military headquarters in Naypyidaw on March 13, with an official ceremony following on March 16. Brigadier General Myat Min Oo played a crucial role in enabling Min Aung Hlaing’s military takeover of power.
After the National League for Democracy’s landslide victory in the 2020 elections, Myat Min Oo collaborated with U Thaung Aye, a Union Solidarity and Development Party candidate from Pyawbwe Township, to conduct unauthorized inspections of voter lists. He then falsely reported to Min Aung Hlaing that there were irregularities in Pyawbwe’s voter lists. This provided the pretext for nationwide voter list inspections, ultimately leading to fabricated claims of millions of voting irregularities that were used to justify the violent seizure of state power. Myat Min Oo, a graduate of the 36th intake of the Defense Services Academy, had hoped to be appointed as Minister of Transport and Communications or Minister of Science and Technology after the coup, but these appointments did not materialize.
However, he maintains the trust of Vice Senior General Soe Win and plays a key role in the military council’s e-ID project. He also has secured lucrative contracts to supply computers and technology equipment to the military council. Currently, he leads technology cooperation projects with Russia. Before the coup, he was known for frequenting KTV establishments and massage parlors outside of office hours, contrary to military regulations requiring officers to live with their families on base. He currently resides with his wife, son and daughter within the military headquarters compound in Naypyidaw, having relocated from Myenigone Sanchaung due to security concerns after the coup. As Director of the Military Information and Technology Department, he continues to serve as a key enabler of the military council’s oppressive rule and stands as a historical perpetrator of war crimes.
