Than Htike
{{Short description|Burmese army general}}
{{Family name hatnote|Than Htike|lang=Burmese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Than Htike
| native_name = {{lang|my|သန်းထိုက်}}
| native_name_lang = my
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| office = Commander of the Northwestern Command
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| term_start = 6 January 2022
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| predecessor = Phyo Thant
| leader = Min Aung Hlaing
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| birth_place = Burma (now Myanmar)
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| nationality = Burmese
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| alma_mater = Defence Services Academy
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| allegiance = {{flag|Myanmar}}
| branch = Myanmar Army
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| rank = 20px Major General
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| commands = Northwestern Command (2022–present)
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Major General Than Htike ({{langx|my|သန်းထိုက်}}, sometimes misspelt Than Hteik) (BC - 28146) is a Burmese military officer. He was appointed as the Commander of Myanmar's Northwestern Command based in Monywa, on 6 January 2022, succeeding Phyo Thant, who became deputy Minister for Border Affairs.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-01-10 |title=Senior Myanmar Military Official Replaced in Surprise Move |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/senior-myanmar-military-official-replaced-in-surprise-move.html |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-28 |title=Myanmar military's might fails to crush decades-old resistance |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Myanmar-military-s-might-fails-to-crush-decades-old-resistance |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}} Phyo Thant had overseen mass military casualties during his leadership of the command.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-02-18 |title=Notorious Junta General Removed from Upper Myanmar Command as Resistance Intensifies |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/notorious-junta-general-removed-from-upper-myanmar-command-as-resistance-intensifies.html |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Junta appoints new head of northwestern command |url=https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-appoints-new-head-of-northwestern-command |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=Myanmar NOW |language=en}}
Military career
Than Htike graduated from the 38th batch of the Defence Services Academy.{{Cite web |title=Junta appoints new head of northwestern command |url=https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-appoints-new-head-of-northwestern-command |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=Myanmar NOW |language=en}} Prior to his promotion as the commander of the Northwestern Command, he commanded military operations in Kalay.
The European Union sanctioned Than Htike in November 2022 for leading military forces who perpetrated serious human rights violations, including the Let Yet Kone massacre, and the burning of 20,000 homes in Sagaing Region since the February 2021 coup.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-08 |title=COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2022/2177 of 8 November 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 401/2013 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32022R2177&from=EN |website=Official Journal of the European Union}} In January 2023, he was sanctioned by the Canadian government.{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |date=2023-01-31 |title=Backgrounder – Additional sanctions for Myanmar |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2023/01/backgrounder--additional-sanctions.html |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=www.canada.ca}}{{Cite web |title=Than Hteik |url=https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/ca-sema-2-92-mm-than-hteik/ |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=opensanctions.org |language=en}}
In February 2023, Than Htike's troops launched the Sagaing offensive, killing dozens of civilians and displacing tens of thousands of villagers.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-03-22 |title=The man behind the Myanmar junta’s campaign of terror in Sagaing |url=https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/the-man-behind-the-myanmar-juntas-campaign-of-terror-in-sagaing/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Myanmar Now |language=en-US}} Than Htike's 99th Light Infantry Division troops, dubbed the 'ogre column' by locals, killed at least 17 villagers during the Tar Taing massacre in March 2023.