Saw Maung
| Saw Maung စောမောင် |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council | |
| In office 18 September 1988 – 23 April 1992 |
|
| Vice President | General Than Shwe |
| Preceded by | Doctor Maung Maung (as President) |
| Succeeded by | Senior General Than Shwe |
| 7th Prime Minister of Burma | |
| In office 21 September 1988 – 23 April 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Tun Tin |
| Succeeded by | Senior General Than Shwe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1928 Mandalay, British Burma |
| Died | 24 July 1997 (aged 68) Yangon, Myanmar |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Political party | SLORC |
Senior General Saw Maung (Burmese: စောမောင်, pronounced [sɔ́ màʊɴ]; December 1928 – 24 July 1997) was the founder of the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar. He served as their Chairman from 1988 to 1992.
[edit] Early life and career
Saw Maung joined the army in 1949, a year after Burma gained independence from Britain. He became a major in 1967. From 1975–76, he fought against communist insurgents and ethnic rebels along the border with Thailand. In 1976, he became a brigadier general, and in 1981 an adjutant-general. He became armed forces commander in 1983.
Saw Maung was army chief of staff and defence minister in the brief government of Sein Lwin and became chairman of the junta when the army staged its coup in 1988 after the 8888 Uprising. He was effective ruler of the country as head of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). He also held the posts of prime minister and foreign minister. As a high-ranking member of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, he provided continuity of leadership during a succession of short-lived predecessors that followed the toppling of Ne Win earlier in 1988.
[edit] Chairman of SLORC
SLORC held free elections in 1990. The 1990 parliamentary elections were won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, but SLORC did not accept the results. He retired as Chairman of SLORC in April 1992. According to the junta this was for health reasons.[1][2] It has been widely reported that Saw Maung was actually suffering from a nervous breakdown and believed himself to be the reincarnation of an 11th century warrior-king.[3] He was replaced as Chairman by General Than Shwe. Saw Maung died of a heart attack at 68 on 24 July 1997.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Wheeler, Ned (28 July 1997). "Obituary: General Saw Maung". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-general-saw-maung-1253020.html.
- ^ http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=742
- ^ "Saw Maung Is Dead at 68; Led a Brutal Burmese Coup". The New York Times. 27 July 1997. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/27/world/saw-maung-is-dead-at-68-led-a-brutal-burmese-coup.html.
- ^ "Heroes and Villains". The Irrawaddy March 2007. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=6883&page=6. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
| Preceded by Maung Maung (acting) |
Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council After 1997 State Peace and Development Council 1988–1992 |
Succeeded by Than Shwe |
| Preceded by Tun Tin |
Prime Minister of Burma 1988–1992 |
Succeeded by Than Shwe |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
 |
This article about a politician from Burma is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
