The ruling Myanmar State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Wednesday assigned Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, SPDC first secretary, as new prime minister following the demise of former prime minister General Soe Win on Oct. 12, state-run Radio Myanmar quoted an SPDC announcement as reporting in a night broadcast.

The SPDC also named Lieutenant-General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, current SPDC member and Quartermaster-General, as new SPDC first secretary to replace Lieutenant-General Thein Sein who has become prime minister.

Thein Sein has become the fifth Myanmar prime minister over the tenure of the SPDC (previously State Law and Order Restoration Council-SLORC) which took over the power of state on Sept. 18, 1988.

Thein Sein, who is also adjutant-general, was triangle region commander with a military rank of major general when the SLORC was renamed as SPDC in November 1997.

Thein Sein became SPDC second Secretary in 2003 and promoted to SPDC first secretary in 2004.

He acted as prime minister over the months-long period when Soe Win was confined to illness.

He also stands as Chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission handling the affairs of the constitutional national convention which ended on Sept. 3.

The new SPDC first secretary Tin Aung Myint Oo, who is also Quartermaster-General, was North East Commander with a military rank of brigadier-general when SPDC was renamed from State Law and Order Restoration Council in November 1997.

The SPDC announcement also included re-assignment of Deputy Minister of Labor and Liaison Minister U Aung Kyi to Minister of Labor and appointment of three other deputy ministers for the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Industry-2 and Ministry of Telecommunications, Post and Telegraphs.