major reshuffle by Myanmar's ruling junta marks the biggest shift within the military in decades, with changes to more than 70 senior army officers' positions, an officer said Saturday. News emerged from the country Friday that some senior leaders, including army number three Thura Shwe Mann, had retired from their military posts to stand in the November 7 poll - the first held in the country in twenty years.
"More than 70 senior military officers' posts were changed. We can say that it's the biggest change within the military in decades," an army officer, who declined to be named, told AFP. "Our leaders have been planning for a long time to keep the military active with the new generation," he added. Win Min, a Myanmar academic based in Thailand, echoed the officer's comments saying the changes mark "the biggest military reshuffle since 1988".