Myanmar general linked to Rohingya atrocities loses bid for election

In the days leading up to last Sunday’s junta-controlled elections, photos of former lieutenant general Aung Aung, dressed in traditional Myanmar attire, were visible everywhere in the Shan State capital Taunggyi.

The photos appeared in campaign flyers highlighting his status as holder of such illustrious military titles as Zeya Kyaw Htin and Sithu. The flyers also carried the slogan of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP): “Rule of law must be ensured.”

To locals, the USDP candidate for Taunggyi’s seat in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of the Union parliament, is best known as their state’s regime-appointed chief minister. Outside of Myanmar, however, he is better known as the commander of the army’s notorious Light Infantry Division (LID) 33 during its deadly campaign of violence against Rohingya civilians in 2017.