Ba Swe | |
|---|---|
ဘဆွေ | |
 Ba Swe in 1955 | |
| 2nd Prime Minister of Union of Burma | |
| In office 12 June 1956 – 25 February 1957 | |
| Preceded by | U Nu |
| Succeeded by | U Nu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 October 1915 Tavoy, British Burma |
| Died | 6 December 1987 (aged 72) Rangoon, Burma |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Political party | AFPFL (before 1958) Stable AFPFL (1958–1964) |
| Spouse | Nu Nu Swe |
| Children | 10 |
| Alma mater | Rangoon University |
| Occupation | Former Prime Minister, Politician |
Ba Swe (Burmese: ဘဆွေ, pronounced [ba̰ sʰwè]; 17 October 1915 – 6 December 1987) was the second Prime Minister of Burma. He was a leading Burmese politician during the decade after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. He held the position of prime minister from 12 June 1956 to 28 February 1957. When Ba Swe became prime minister, Time magazine reported the news in an article titled: 'The Day of the Tiger' based on his nickname 'Big Tiger' (Kyah gyi Ba Swe) since his university days in the 1930s as a student leader.[1]
His name was often paired with the name of another famous student leader as Ba Hein and Ba Swe, both Thakins or members of the nationalist Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association) and were arrested by the British colonial government during the year of countrywide protests, demonstrations and strikes in 1938 known as the "1300 Revolution" (Htaung thoun ya byei ayeidawbon named after the Burmese calendar year).[2][3] Ba Hein became a founder member of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1939 and shortly afterwards Ba Swe and Ba Hein among others founded the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP), renamed the Burma Socialist Party after the war.[3] Ba Swe was also known for his penchant for wearing dark glasses.
- ^ "The Day of the Tiger". Time. 18 June 1956. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "The Statement on the Commemoration of Bo Aung Kyaw". All Burma Students League. December 1999. Retrieved 16 October 2006.
- ^ a b Martin Smith (1991). Burma – Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London and New Jersey: Zed Books. pp. 54, 57, 163, 176, 178, 186.