Current Political Leaders, Dictators & First Ladies

Than Shwe, General of Myanmar (Burma)

Than Shwe, General of Myanmar (Burma)

Senior General Than Shwe (born 2 February 1933) is the dictator of Myanmar (Burma), serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw and chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) since 23 April 1992. SPDC is the name of the former State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), established in 1988. He is also the head of Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). These positions and titles effectively amount to Than Shwe being what is generally referred to as the “head” of Myanmar’s ruling military junta.

Than Shwe was born in Minzu village, near Kyaukse, Mandalay Province, British Burma. After working as a postman he enlisted in the Burmese army, where he participated in the government’s powerful counter-insurgency campaign against ethnic-Karen guerrillas in eastern Burma.

After the military coup in 1962 by General Ne Win, Than Shwe continued to rise steadily through the ranks. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1972, Colonel in 1978, Commander of the South West Regional Command in 1983, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Brigadier-General and Deputy Minister of Defence in 1985 and then Major-General in 1986.

He also obtained a seat on the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party’s Central Executive Committee.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) was created after the military organised another coup in response to the democracy uprising of 1988, and Than Shwe was appointed as one of 21 members of the cabinet headed by General Saw Maung.

On 23 April 1992, Saw Maung unexpectedly resigned, citing health reasons, and Than Shwe replaced him as Chairman of the Council, head of state, Secretary of Defence and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

He is known to be a diabetic, and he is rumoured to have intestinal cancer. He rarely makes public appearances.

Than Shwe flew to Singapore on 31 December 2006. Concerns about Than’s health intensified after he failed to appear at an official Independence Day dinner for military leaders, officials, and diplomats on 4 January 2007. It was the first time since he took power in 1992 that Than did not host the annual dinner. Than Shwe had checked out of Singapore’s General Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment, and returned to Burma two weeks later.

In 2006, a home video footage of Than Shwe’s daughter Thandar Shwe’s wedding was leaked on the Internet, which sparked controversy and criticism from Burmese and foreign media for the lavish and seemingly ostentatious reception.

After days of anti-government protests, there were unconfirmed reports that Than Shwe’s wife and pets fled the country on 27 September 2007, possibly to Laos.

Than Shwe ranked No. 4 on Parade Magazine’s 2009 “World’s Worst Dictators” list.

Soe Win, Former Prime Minister of Myanmar (Burma)

Soe Win, Prime Minister of Myanmar (Burma)

The Prime Minister of Myanmar (b. 1948). He was appointed by the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Than Shwe on October 19, 2004 and is reported to be a close associate of the Chairman.

He is expected to take a tougher line against political reform in Myanmar than did his immediate precessor, Khin Nyunt. He is quoted as saying (in January 2003) “the SPDC not only won’t talk to the NLD (National League for Democracy) but also would never handover power to the NLD.” He was accused of conspiring to crush the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi at Depayin Massacre: on May 6, 2002.

Before his appointment as prime minister in October, Soe Win was best known for his part in the crackdown on democracy protestors in 1988—deploying troops around Rangoon University and ordering them to shoot at Rangoon General Hospital during the upheaval.A graduate of the Defense Services Academy (12th intake), he became Tactical Operations Commander 3 of the Northwestern Regional Command in 1990. In 1997 he was named Regional Commander and a member of the junta. In November 2001 he was named Air Defense General of the War Office. In February 2003 he was promoted to Secretary-2 of the junta, which was vacant after Lt-Gen Tin Oo was killed in a helicopter crash two years before.

He is a senior member of the USDA and is close to Than Shwe. The two men see eye-to-eye on “nation building projects”, which include constructing dams, roads and bridges. He is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the deadly attack against Suu Kyi and her supporters in Depayin in May 2003. The same year he accompanied Than Shwe on state visits to Vietnam and China. Soe Win also signed the order to dismiss Foreign Minister Win Aung and his deputy in September.

A devout Buddhist, Soe Win upped the persecution against the predominantly Christian Chin when he was the Northwestern Regional Commander in Chin State.
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