Than Shwe

Not to be confused with Than Swe.
In this Burmese name, the given name is Than Shwe. There is no family name.
His Excellency[1]
Senior General
Agga Maha Thray Sithu
Than Shwe
သန်းရွှေ
Than Shwe in 2010
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
In office
23 April 1992 – 30 March 2011
Prime Minister
See list
DeputyMaung Aye
Preceded bySaw Maung
Succeeded byThein Sein (as president)
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services
In office
23 April 1992 – 30 March 2011
DeputyMaung Aye
Preceded bySaw Maung
Succeeded byMin Aung Hlaing
Prime Minister of Myanmar
In office
23 April 1992 – 25 August 2003
LeaderHimself
Preceded bySaw Maung
Succeeded byKhin Nyunt
Personal details
Born (1933-02-02) 2 February 1933 (age 91)[2]
Kyaukse, Upper Burma, British Burma (present-day Myanmar)
SpouseKyaing Kyaing
RelationsNay Shwe Thway Aung (grandson)
ChildrenMultiple, including:
Htun Naing Shwe
Kyaing San Shwe
Thandar Shwe
Khin Pyone Shwe
Aye Aye Thin Shwe
Kyi Kyi Shwe
Dewa Shwe
Thant Zaw Shwe
Alma mater
Military service
Allegiance Myanmar
Branch/service Myanmar Army
Years of service1953–2011
Rank Senior General

Than Shwe (Burmese: သန်းရွှေ; pronounced [θáɰ̃ ʃwè]; born 2 February 1933) is a retired Burmese army general who held influential positions within Myanmar's government.[3][4] Serving as the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) from 1992 to 2011, he played a significant role in shaping the country's political landscape.[5][6][7][8][9][10] During his tenure, he exercised considerable authority, contributing to a centralized power structure.[11][12][13][14] His governance saw the implementation of various policies aimed at economic development, modernization and infrastructure improvements.[15][16][17][18] Than Shwe was also involved in efforts to stabilize the country and manage internal conflicts.[19] While his leadership was marked by significant achievements, it also faced scrutiny and criticism, particularly regarding allegations of human rights abuses and restrictions on political freedoms.[20][21][22][23] Than Shwe's tenure coincided with a period of political transition and international scrutiny, with Myanmar experiencing both internal and external challenges.[24][25][26][27]

Occupying key positions, including Prime Minister of Myanmar, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Defence Services, and head of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), Than Shwe has elicited various perspectives on his governance.[28][29][30][31][32] In March 2011, he officially stepped down as head of state, facilitating the transition to his chosen successor, Thein Sein.[33][34][35][36][37] As the head of the Armed Forces, he was succeeded by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.[38][39][40] Than Shwe continues to wield significant influence within the military.[41][42][43][44][45]

  1. ^ by His Excellency Senior General Than Shwe Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar
  2. ^ "Than Shwe". Alternative Asean Network on Burma. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
  3. ^ "Than Shwe – Myanmar soldier and politician, leader of the ruling military leadership in Myanmar (Burma) from 1992 to 2011". Britannica.
  4. ^ Simon Roughneen (15 December 2010). "Earlier in 2007, China facilitated talks between the US and the Burmese government, with Beijing's diplomats suggesting that the US deal directly with junta chief Senior General Than Shwe, according to the documents released by WikiLeaks". The Irrawaddy.
  5. ^ "Hearty Congratulations to Burmese Military Leader Senior General Than Shwe". Amnesty International.
  6. ^ Egreteau, Renaud (19 October 2009). "Born in February 1933, Senior-General Than Shwe has been the leader of the Burmese junta since 1992". SciencesPo.
  7. ^ Wai Moe (10 February 2011). "Myint Aung Dismissed, Placed Under House Arrest. At the time, rumors from Naypyidaw suggested that Than Shwe favored Myint Aung and Ko Ko to succeed him and his deputy, Vice Senior General Maung Aye, respectively". The Irrawaddy.
  8. ^ Wai Moe (21 July 2011). ""The current rulers do not need them," he said, ruling out the possibility that the new government might want to recruit their services. However, a Naypyidaw source said he thought that it was unlikely that Khin Nyunt and his family would be released in the near future. The junta leaders discussed the possible release of Khin Nyunt before the new administration came into office in late March, but the move, proposed by Vice Senior General Maung Aye, was rejected by Senior General Than Shwe, he said". The Irrawaddy.
  9. ^ John Aglionby (13 February 2001). "War of blame after Thai-Burmese border clashes". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Min Lwin (29 September 2009). "A Rising Four-star General". The Irrawaddy.
  11. ^ Sa Tun, Aung (26 October 2023). "How a protected coastline became the private property of Than Shwe's daughters". Myanmar Now.
  12. ^ "Than Shwe had by now risen through the ranks of the military regime and its 'Burma Socialist Programme Party'. Born in 1933 – prior to Burma's invasion by Japan during World War Two, and its independence from Britain thereafter – he began his working life delivering mail". New Internationalist. 1 September 2005.
  13. ^ "Senior General Than Shwe has reportedly endorsed Burma's No 3 ranking general, joint chief-of-staff Gen Thura Shwe Mann, to become Burma's new president. The move came during a recent cabinet meeting in Naypyidaw, according to sources. "You are going to be president," Than Shwe reportedly told his subordinate". The Irrawaddy. 16 July 2009.
  14. ^ Wai Moe (31 January 2011). "Leaked information from Naypyidaw on Monday evening suggested that junta chief Senior General Than Shwe had chosen Prime Minister ex-general Thein Sein to be the new president of Burma. Thein Sein, who retired from the army in April to lead the junta's proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, is Than Shwe's long-term friend and close aide". The Irrawaddy.
  15. ^ Wai Moe (1 February 2011). "Following the opening sessions of both of the Parliamentary Houses in Naypyidaw, one thing is certain—neither of the nation's top two generals, Senior General Than Shwe and Vice Senior General Maung Aye, will be President nor a Vice-president". The Irrawaddy.
  16. ^ Aung Zaw (31 October 2007). "Than Shwe: The Man in the Iron Mask". The Irrawaddy.
  17. ^ Lawi Weng (29 March 2010). "Thangyat Songs Ridicule Than Shwe's Election". The Irrawaddy.
  18. ^ Lawi Weng (2 November 2009). "Former Thai PM to Visit His 'Brother' Than Shwe". The Irrawaddy.
  19. ^ "Than Shwe's biography released in India". Burma News International. 19 November 2010.
  20. ^ Matt Kennard, Claire Provost (19 March 2015). "Burma's bizarre capital: a super-sized slice of post-apocalypse suburbia". The Guardian.
  21. ^ Saw Yan Naing (9 January 2008). "University Privileges Granted to Than Shwe's Grandson". The Irrawaddy.
  22. ^ "Naypyidaw's Version of Shwedagon Pagoda Nears Completion". The Irrawaddy. 6 March 2009.
  23. ^ Aung Zaw (28 February 2014). "The Doubly Disastrous Legacy of Ne Win". The Irrawaddy.
  24. ^ "Senior General Than Shwe, the Burmese military's 'old fox'". Reuters. 4 October 2007.
  25. ^ Nyi Nyi, Kyaw (27 October 2021). "Burmese army general Senior General Than Shwe created a sheltered Tatmadaw family. Living side by side in cantonments, soldiers train and farm. Their wives go to meetings with fellow military wives, and their children go to military-run public schools or attend schools outside in Tatmadaw trucks". East Asia Forum.
  26. ^ Aung Zaw (9 December 2011). "Is Than Shwe Still Pulling the Strings?". The Irrawaddy.
  27. ^ Patrick Symmes (28 July 2008). "The Generals in Their Labyrinth". Outside Magazine.
  28. ^ "Military Watch: Regime boss targets 'Western culture'; Than Shwe Falls From Favor; and More". The Irrawaddy. 4 March 2023.
  29. ^ "Whatever happened to the leader of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe?". Southeast Asia Globe.
  30. ^ "For Suu Kyi and Than Shwe, an Inconvenient Truce". The Irrawaddy. 14 December 2015.
  31. ^ "Has former Burmese army general Than Shwe retained his influence?". Frontier Myanmar. 11 September 2016.
  32. ^ Lin Thant (20 March 2013). "Retired Spy Master Makes TV Appearance with Shwe Mann". The Irrawaddy.
  33. ^ "Myanmar's Military Chief Staged a Coup. But He Did Not Act Alone". The Irrawaddy. 13 August 2021.
  34. ^ Anne, Gearan (19 May 2013). "Burma's Thein Sein says military 'will always have a special place' in government". The Washington Post.
  35. ^ "This political transition was a top-down approach, initiated and implemented by the regime—particularly by Than Shwe's successor, President Thein Sein, along with the vital participation of Aung San Suu Kyi in the latter stages of reform". Oxford Academic.
  36. ^ Alex Williams (4 May 2008). "But the campaign's success may depend less on Hollywood and more on whether it can clearly convey the complex, closed world of Myanmar politics. The government, led since 1992 by Senior General Than Shwe, tightly controls the press and visitors are rarely permitted in". The New York Times.
  37. ^ Htet Aung (6 July 2011). "Cronyism: A Legacy of Military Rule in Burma". The Irrawaddy.
  38. ^ "Later that month, an envoy from the CCP came and met former military leader Senior General Than Shwe — now 90 years old — who had nurtured closer relations with China than Min Aung Hlaing. The envoy also met former president Thein Sein". East Asia Forum. 17 June 2023.
  39. ^ "Myanmar Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing Visits Former leader of Myanmar Than Shwe". The Irrawaddy. 21 April 2022.
  40. ^ "Myanmar military chief leaves for India. YANGON: Myanmar's army chief Senior General Than Shwe departed Sunday for a goodwill visit to India at the invitation of the Indian president, officials confirmed". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012.
  41. ^ "During his visit to Myanmar, Qin Gang also met with former Chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council Than Shwe". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 3 May 2023.
  42. ^ "Has former army leader Senior General Than Shwe retained his influence?". Frontier Myanmar. 11 September 2016.
  43. ^ Robert, Horn (11 April 2011). "Is Burma's leader Than Shwe Really Retiring?". TIME Magazine.
  44. ^ Bill, Ide (23 November 2011). "Burmese Press Mention 'Retired' Former Leader Than Shwe". Voice of America News.
  45. ^ Wai Moe (15 August 2009). "US Senator Meets Than Shwe, Suu Kyi". The Irrawaddy.