- Also called (since 2011):
- U Than Shwe
- Born:
- February 2, 1933, Kyaukse, Burma [now Myanmar] (age 93)
Than Shwe
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Who is Than Shwe?
Than Shwe (born February 2, 1933) is a Myanmar soldier and politician who led the ruling military junta in Myanmar (Burma) from 1992 to 2011.
Before joining the army in 1953, he worked as a postal clerk. By 1960, he had risen to the rank of captain, serving in the army’s psychological warfare department and participating in counterinsurgency operations. Following the military coup in 1962, he was appointed instructor at the Central Institute of Political Science. Than Shwe replaced Saw Maung as chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1992, effectively becoming head of state and government. Though many hoped for democratic reforms when he took power, they never happened. In 2011, he formally stepped down as head of state and government.
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What role did Than Shwe have in Myanmar's military?
Than Shwe was a prominent figure in Myanmar's military, joining in 1953 and rising through the ranks. By 1960, he was a captain, and in 1978, he achieved the rank of colonel. In 1980, he became commander of the 88th Light Infantry Division. After a pro-democracy uprising in 1988, he survived internal purges and, in 1992, replaced Saw Maung as chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), effectively becoming head of state and government. In 2011, he stepped down from the military.
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When did Than Shwe become a political leader in Myanmar?
Than Shwe became a political leader in Myanmar when he replaced Saw Maung as chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1992, effectively becoming the head of state and government. Earlier, after a coup in 1962, he was appointed instructor at the Central Institute of Political Science. By 1980, he was commander of the 88th Light Infantry Division and chairman of the regional Burma Socialist Program Party committee. Though it was expected that Than Shwe would be more moderate than his predecessors, he refused to negotiate with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2011, he gave up his position as head of state and government.
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How did Than Shwe influence Myanmar's government during his leadership?
As the leader of Myanmar's ruling military junta from 1992 to 2011, Than Shwe exerted significant influence, though he was rarely seen in public. When Than Shwe took power, many hoped for democratic reforms, but they never materialized. He refused to negotiate with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the pro-democracy movement, and periodically kept her under house arrest.
Than Shwe's government sought to suppress internal revolts by Myanmar’s ethnic groups, and he oversaw the construction of Nay Pyi Taw, the country's new capital in 2006. A new constitution was ratified in 2008 that ensured the military would have a leading role in future governments. In March 2011, he formally relinquished his position as head of state and government.
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What were some major events in Myanmar while Than Shwe was in power?
Than Shwe, who ruled Myanmar from 1992 to 2011, oversaw significant events in the country. Initially perceived as more moderate, he did not implement democratic reforms and frequently detained Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1997, he renamed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). His regime negotiated cease-fires with multiple ethnic militias and, in 2006, moved the capital to Nay Pyi Taw. In 2008, Than Shwe ratified a new constitution and held parliamentary elections in 2010. He formally left his position as head of state in March 2011.
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How has Than Shwe’s leadership affected Myanmar’s history and politics?
As leader of Myanmar's military junta from 1992 to 2011, Than Shwe influenced Myanmar's history and politics through authoritarian rule and attempts to quell internal conflict.
Initially thought to be more moderate than his predecessors, Than Shwe did not usher in democratic reforms. He refused dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and, in 1997, renamed the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). His regime sought cease-fires with ethnic groups and oversaw the construction of Nay Pyi Taw as the new capital in 2006.
Than Shwe ratified a new constitution in 2008 and held parliamentary elections in 2010, ensuring the military's continued role in government. He formally stepped down in 2011, but the extent of his behind-the-scenes influence remained unclear.
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Than Shwe (born February 2, 1933, Kyaukse, Burma [now Myanmar]) was a Myanmar soldier and politician, leader of the ruling military junta in Myanmar (Burma) from 1992 to 2011.
Than Shwe worked as a postal clerk before joining the army in 1953. For the rest of the decade, he served in the army’s psychological warfare department and participated in counterinsurgency operations against guerrillas of the minority Karen ethnic group. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1960. Shortly after the military seized power in Burma in a coup d’état in 1962, Than was appointed an instructor at the Central Institute of Political Science. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1978 and was named commander of the 88th Light Infantry Division in 1980. He was later appointed chairman of the regional committee of the Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP), the sole legal political party in the country. After a pro-democracy uprising in the country was crushed in 1988, U Ne Win, Burma’s military dictator, resigned as chairman of the BSPP, which was replaced by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), headed by Gen. Saw Maung. Than Shwe survived a series of internal purges and in 1992 replaced Saw Maung as chairman of the SLORC, effectively becoming head of state and government.
When Than Shwe took power, it was widely believed that he would be more moderate than his predecessors. Nevertheless, the democratic reforms that many in Myanmar hoped for never took place. Than Shwe consistently refused to enter into discussions with the leader of the country’s pro-democracy faction, Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been under house arrest since July 1989. (She remained under house arrest until 1995 and thereafter was periodically detained.) In 1997 Than Shwe changed the name of the SLORC to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). His regime sought to quell internal revolts by Myanmar’s various ethnic groups, entering into peace agreements or cease-fires with many of the ethnic militias that were fighting for independence. Starting in 2004 Than Shwe oversaw the construction of the inland city of Nay Pyi Taw, which he proclaimed as the country’s new capital in 2006.
Than Shwe regularly attended Myanmar’s annual army parade but was otherwise rarely seen in public. In 2007, rumours of his failing health began to circulate when he traveled to Singapore for treatment of an undisclosed illness before returning to Myanmar. Despite the state of his health, Than Shwe retained control of the SPDC and oversaw the ratification of a new national constitution in 2008 and parliamentary elections in 2010. In March 2011, after the new legislature convened, he formally disbanded the SPDC and relinquished his position as head of state and government. He also stepped down from the military (thus acquiring the U prefix on his name), but it was unclear to what extent he might have retained behind-the-scenes control in the new government.