After the Burmese army began the attack on the Japanese, it was renamed the "Patriotic Burmese Forces" and its command structure was divided into eight different regions. Aung San was given command of the first region, comprising the areas of Prome, Henzada, Tharrawaddy, and Insein. His designated political advisor was Thakin Ba Hein, a Communist Party leader. On 30 March, the Allied commander in Southeast Asia, Louis Montbatten, formally recognized the Burmese army as "an Allied force". Many officers within the British army believed that Aung San should be treated as a traitor and a war criminal for his activities working with the Japanese, but Montbatten mediated between both sides, leading them to agree to work together, that no general amnesty would be granted, and that the political future of Burma would need to be negotiated following the conclusion of the war.