Myanmar's second cabinet reshuffle in 30 months

Myanmar President U Thein Sein has effected his second cabinet reshuffle, reassigning four ministers, dropping two deputy ministers and appointing or reshuffling 10 deputy ministers.

According to an announcement from the President's Office Thursday night, rail transportation minister U Zeya Aung was reassigned as minister of energy, Xinhua reported.

Other reassignments were minister of labour, employment and social welfare U Maung Myint as minister of industry, minister of industry U Aye Myint as minister of labour, employment and social welfare and minister of energy U Than Htay as minister of rail transportation.

Two deputy ministers with education and rail transportation ministries, U Aye Kyu and Thura U Thaung Lwin, were dropped.

Of the 10 other deputy ministers, five were newly appointed and five were given other jobs.

Significantly, former police chief Brigadier Kyaw Kyaw Tun was reassigned as deputy home minister and his post was taken up by his deputy, Brigadier General Zaw Win.

Reassigned energy minister U Zeya Aung, who was a major general, had been a Northern Commander before becoming the rail transportation minister.

This is the second cabinet reshuffle since President U Thein Sein took office March 30, 2011. The first was in September 2012 when the president named 11 new faces to ministerial posts and one new auditor general with the approval of parliament.

During that reshuffle, four ministries were added to the President's Office to increase the number to six, the ministries of electric power No. 1 and No. 2 were merged into a single ministry and the ministry of industrial development was disbanded.

That reshuffle came after Vice President U Tin Aung Myint Oo resigned and was replaced by U Nyan Tun, a former naval chief.