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Myint Swe

Myint Swe (Burmese: မြင့်ဆွေ; 24 June 1951 – 7 August 2025) was a Burmese military officer and politician who served as of from 1 February 2021 until his death. A retired general from the , 's armed forces, he rose through the military ranks after graduating from the in 1971 and held various commands before transitioning to politics. As a member of the pro-military (USDP), Myint Swe was elected to the () in 2011 and later appointed First in 2016 under the quasi-civilian government. He briefly acted as president in March 2018 following the resignation of , before resuming his vice-presidential role. Following the military coup on 1 February 2021, which detained President and State Counsellor , Myint Swe assumed the acting presidency in accordance with the 2008 constitution's provisions for succession. During his tenure, Myint Swe functioned primarily as a under the led by Senior General , who effectively controlled governance amid ongoing civil conflict. He faced from the and other entities for his role in the post-coup administration. Myint Swe had been on extended medical leave due to deteriorating health for over a year prior to his death from a long illness in Naypyitaw, after which assumed additional presidential duties.

Early Life and Education

Upbringing and Military Entry

Myint Swe was born on 24 June 1951 in , , to U Kyee Maung and Daw Kyi. Of ethnic descent, a group primarily from southern , little is publicly documented about his early family life or specific influences shaping his formative years. In 1969, at age 18, Myint Swe entered the () as part of its 15th intake, a key institution for training 's military officers. He completed the program in 1973 and was commissioned as a in the , 's armed forces, thereby beginning his military career. This entry occurred during General Ne Win's socialist military regime, which had consolidated power since the 1962 coup amid persistent ethnic insurgencies and border conflicts that strained national stability.

Military Career

Key Commands and Promotions

Myint Swe advanced through the Tatmadaw's ranks during the rule of Senior General , demonstrating loyalty that facilitated his rise from divisional command to central security roles. In 1997, he was promoted to and appointed commander of the 11th Division, marking an early acceleration in his career amid the junta's consolidation post-1988. By the early , he had reached , assuming command of the Command and South-East Command between 2001 and 2004, positions that underscored his alignment with 's inner circle during a period of internal purges and power centralization. Following the 2004 ouster of chief , Myint Swe was elevated to head the Chief of Military Affairs Security while retaining Command until 2006, roles that positioned him as a key enforcer of stability. In October 2005, he received promotion to , the first regional commander to surpass , reflecting Than Shwe's favoritism toward trusted officers in and operations. By 2009, as quartermaster-general and commander of the Bureau of Special Operations, Myint Swe managed and elite units, further embedding his influence within the Tatmadaw's command structure. He retired in 2010 at , having navigated promotions tied to unwavering allegiance during transitions.

Involvement in Internal Security Operations

In his capacity as Commander of Command from the mid-2000s, Myint Swe oversaw measures in Myanmar's largest city amid persistent threats from urban unrest and opposition activities, including coordination with intelligence units to monitor and counter potential insurgent infiltration or protest escalation. These efforts occurred against a backdrop of ongoing ethnic insurgencies in border regions, which the military regarded as risks to national cohesion, though Yangon's operations focused primarily on suppressing domestic to prevent spillover from such conflicts. Myint Swe played a central role in directing the security response to the 2007 , a wave of protests triggered by fuel price hikes in August 2007 and led by Buddhist monks, students, and civilians, which grew to involve tens of thousands in by September. Under his leadership, security forces employed batons, arrests, and lethal force to disperse gatherings, resulting in an official death toll of 10 civilians but estimates from monitors of at least 31 fatalities, including monks, alongside over 2,000 arrests nationwide. Myint Swe publicly defended the operations as fulfilling his duty to preserve order, amid junta concerns that unchecked protests could mirror the 1988 uprisings and exacerbate fragmentation from ethnic armed groups controlling peripheral territories. As Chief of the Office of Military Affairs Security (a post he held concurrently with Command duties from 2004 to 2006), Myint Swe contributed to broader intelligence-driven operations targeting opposition figures and networks, including preemptive detentions to neutralize threats from pro-democracy activists in the lead-up to the elections. These activities emphasized and rapid response to maintain central authority in urban centers, where protests posed risks of coordinating with rural insurgencies, though specific casualty figures from this period remain limited in independent verification.

Political Career

Appointment as Chief Minister of Yangon

Myint Swe, a retired who had commanded Yangon's military region until 2010, was appointed of the Region by President shortly after the 2010 general elections and the establishment of Myanmar's quasi-civilian government. He assumed the role in 2011, succeeding military-aligned predecessors, and served through the first term of the Union Parliament until 2016. This appointment reflected the limited scope of post-junta reforms, positioning a former high-ranking officer in a key civilian post overseeing Myanmar's economic hub, which housed over 5 million residents and generated a significant portion of national GDP. In this hybrid capacity, Myint Swe directed regional , with primary duties encompassing urban infrastructure upgrades, economic zoning, , and coordination with forces amid sporadic labor unrest and informal settlements. Yangon's challenges included chronic flooding from inadequate drainage systems, rapid informal straining utilities, and balancing foreign inflows—such as garment factories and —with local displacement risks. His prioritized protocols inherited from his tenure, deploying regional forces to quell protests, including those tied to labor disputes in industrial zones. Key initiatives under Myint Swe focused on expansive urban expansion to address overcrowding and boost commerce. In August 2014, he publicly unveiled plans for the New Yangon City project, a $8 billion development on approximately 30,000 acres of southwestern farmland, intended to create satellite zones for housing, industry, and logistics to decongest the core city by accommodating projected population growth. The blueprint emphasized public-private partnerships, including contracts awarded to firms with ties to regional elites, though implementation lagged due to land valuation disputes and environmental concerns over wetland conversion. These efforts aligned with Thein Sein's broader liberalization but underscored tensions between accelerated development and equitable , as Yangon's infrastructure spending remained below regional peers like . Myint Swe's tenure as bridged military oversight with civilian mandates, yet his decisions often echoed a command-style approach, prioritizing stability over participatory reforms amid the 2011-2015 opening. By 2015, as parliamentary elections loomed, his role facilitated military-nominated continuity in regional control, paving the way for his elevation to national vice presidency.

Vice Presidency and Pre-Coup Acting Role

Myint Swe was nominated by the as one of three candidates for the in the electoral following the 2015 general election, alongside two nominees from the (NLD), U and . In the parliamentary vote on 15 March 2016, U Htin Kyaw received the highest number of votes from the , followed by Myint Swe, making him the First Vice President under the provisions of the 2008 Constitution, which designates the second-place candidate as if their nominating group does not secure a majority. He was sworn into office on 30 March 2016, representing interests in the executive amid the NLD's parliamentary dominance. As First Vice President, Myint Swe assumed the role of acting president on two occasions prior to 2021 due to presidential vacancies or incapacities. Following U Htin Kyaw's resignation on 21 March 2018 for health reasons, Myint Swe served as per Article 73(a) of the , which mandates the senior to temporarily assume presidential duties until a successor is elected by . This interim period lasted until 28 March 2018, when U was elected and sworn in as president. Myint Swe briefly acted again in 2020 when President U fell ill, maintaining continuity in executive functions during the NLD administration. During the NLD-led government from 2016 to 2021, Myint Swe's influence as a military-nominated was circumscribed by constitutional checks and the leadership of as State Counsellor, who directed key policy decisions despite the president's ceremonial role. The 2008 Constitution allocates three key ministries—defense, home affairs, and border affairs—to military appointees, preserving oversight, but the vice president's executive authority remained limited without NLD support in parliament. Myint Swe's position ensured military representation in the executive triad but operated within a framework where NLD initiatives, such as economic reforms and foreign relations, predominated under Suu Kyi's guidance.

Post-2021 Acting Presidency

Myint Swe assumed the acting presidency on February 1, 2021, immediately following the military's detention of amid claims of electoral irregularities in the November 2020 vote, which the asserted necessitated intervention to safeguard national unity and prevent administrative collapse. He declared a lasting one year—subsequently extended multiple times—and transferred governing powers to the (SAC), chaired by Senior General , thereby formalizing the military's administrative control. Post-coup, Myint Swe maintained a low public profile, with serving as the regime's primary visible leader. His rare interventions included a November 2023 address at an emergency meeting, where he cautioned that advances by ethnic armed groups and opposition forces in northern regions could fragment into separate entities, echoing the military's longstanding narrative of existential threats from internal divisions. In July 2024, state media disclosed that Myint Swe was afflicted with neurological disorders and , prompting him to cede acting presidential duties to on July 22; this handover marked a substantial curtailment of his authority, leaving him in a largely ceremonial and inactive capacity through 2025.

Controversies and Assessments

Accusations of Repression and Human Rights Abuses

Myint Swe has faced accusations from opposition media and international observers of directing or enabling repressive measures during key episodes of civil unrest in . In particular, during the 2007 —a series of protests led primarily by Buddhist monks against fuel price hikes and economic hardship—Myint Swe, then serving in a senior military intelligence role under junta leader , is alleged to have overseen security operations in that contributed to the government's violent response. Reports attribute , which began in mid-September 2007, to the deaths of at least 31 protesters according to official figures, though dissident estimates claim up to 200 fatalities and thousands of arrests, including the beating and detention of monks. Myint Swe has denied personal responsibility for the violence, stating in 2013 that he was prepared to face consequences if proven involved, though no independent judicial inquiry has substantiated direct orders from him. Following the 2021 military coup, in which Myint Swe assumed the acting presidency on February 1, international bodies accused him of complicity in the junta's suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations. As acting head of state, he endorsed the declaration that facilitated mass arrests, with over 15,000 detentions and more than 1,000 protester deaths reported by mid-2022 amid tactics including live fire, beatings, and enforced disappearances. Critics, including outlets aligned with the opposition , portray Myint Swe as a continuity figure for authoritarian rule, leveraging his loyalty to former strongman to perpetuate military dominance. In response to these events, the imposed sanctions on Myint Swe in February 2021 under the Global Magnitsky Act, citing his role in the coup and the ensuing violations, including the arbitrary detention of civilians and officials like . The followed with asset freezes and travel bans in March 2021, targeting him alongside other coup participants for undermining democracy and enabling repression. These measures reflect Western assessments of his enabling of excessive force, though Myanmar's military has contested such claims, arguing operations targeted armed insurgents and rioters rather than peaceful crowds, with causality for unrest often traced to prior economic grievances or opposition incitement rather than solely state actions. No has convicted Myint Swe of specific abuses, and allegations remain contested amid limited access to forensic evidence in junta-controlled areas.

Views on Contributions to National Unity

Myint Swe's defenders within military-aligned circles assert that his declaration of a on February 1, 2021, as , averted imminent national disintegration triggered by disputed November 2020 election results and intensifying ethnic insurgencies under the preceding (NLD) administration. They contend that unchecked federalist demands from ethnic armed organizations risked fragmenting along ethnic lines, akin to post-Yugoslav states, with Myint Swe's role enabling centralized command to enforce . In November 2023, amid offensives by ethnic alliances, Myint Swe publicly warned during a National Defence and Security Council emergency session that the country teetered on the brink of collapse, framing military countermeasures as essential for preserving unitary against secessionist threats. Pro-junta narratives highlight verifiable containment of advances by groups like the (AA) in , where pre-coup clashes under governance displaced over 200,000 civilians from January to November 2020, arguing that SAC-led operations temporarily stabilized border regions and forestalled broader autonomy gains that could erode central authority. These perspectives contrast NLD-era shortcomings, including stalled peace talks and rising insurgent activities—such as AA's territorial expansions despite a November 2020 —with post-coup efforts to impose order, though empirical data shows sustained with over 6,000 fatalities since 2021 per monitors. proponents maintain that without such interventions, concessions would have accelerated ethnic wars, citing 2020 election fraud allegations as symptomatic of civilian governance failures exacerbating disunity.

Personal Life and Death

Family and Private Background

Myint Swe was born on 24 June 1951 in to parents U Kyee Maung and Daw Kyi. He married Khin Thet Htay, with whom he had two children, and his family maintained a low public profile typical of senior officers. As a high-ranking military figure and later vice president, Myint Swe resided primarily in , Myanmar's administrative capital, reflecting the relocation patterns of leadership since its establishment in 2005. No verifiable indicate personal scandals or notable private interests beyond his professional obligations.

Health Decline and Passing

In July 2024, Myanmar's state media announced that Acting President Myint Swe was suffering from neurological disorders and , conditions that had not improved despite treatments including care in and at the No. 2 Defence Services General Hospital in . His health issues reportedly began in early 2023, with later medical assessments identifying as a contributing factor to progressive neurological deterioration. By July 2025, Myint Swe's condition had worsened significantly, manifesting in symptoms such as , loss of appetite, fever, and impaired cognitive function, leading to his readmission for intensive care at a in . He remained on medical leave for over a year prior to this escalation, effectively sidelining him from public duties. Myint Swe died on August 7, 2025, at 08:28 local time (02:58 GMT), at age 74, from neurodegenerative diseases and related neurological disorders, as confirmed by a statement from the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) via state broadcaster MRTV. The announcement prompted no immediate appointment of a successor or , allowing Senior General to maintain consolidated control over the without a named replacement.

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