Burmese politician
Brigadier General
Aung Shwe
(
Burmese
:
?????????
; 19 May 1919 ? 13 August 2017) was a Burmese politician and a member of General
Ne Win
's
Burma Rifles
rising to
Brigadier General
. He was one of the founders and former President of the
National League for Democracy
who took charge of the party when
Aung San Suu Kyi
and
Tin Oo
were under house arrest in the early 1990s and 2000s.
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Early life and education
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]
Aung Shwe was born in
Rangoon
,
British Burma
to Phoe Con and Daw Thein. He graduated in arts from
Rangoon University
in 1940. From 1942 to 1945, he served under the leadership of General
Aung San
's
Burma Independence Army
, Burma Defence Army and Patriotic Burmese Forces during the
Japanese occupation of Burma
. Aung Shwe joined the
Burmese army
in 1945.
Military and governmental career
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Aung Shwe played a role in the 1958
caretaker government
and served as a high-ranking military officer led by General
Ne Win
. During this time, he also served as the
Commander
of the Southern Regional Command from 1955 to 1961 and Northern Regional Command in 1957.
[6]
Aung Shwe was a member of the
Burma Socialist Party
before the
1962 Burmese coup d'etat
. He was forced to retire from
Tatmadaw
in 1961 after a public disagreement with General
Ne Win
, on the military's long-term role in government.
He then served as
Burmese ambassador to France
, Australia, Egypt, Spain and New Zealand from 1961 to 1975. Subsequent to his posting in Australia, He served in Egypt and then in Paris until his retirement from government service in 1975. He settled in
Rangoon
, where in 1988 public demonstrations erupted that eventually spread across the country. The people of Burma were tired of the authoritarian rule of the
Burma Socialist Programme Party
.
[7]
Political career
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Aung Shwe founded
National League for Democracy
Party with
Tin Oo
and secretary-general,
Aung San Suu Kyi
on 27 September 1988. He was a leading member of the NLD and also chairman of the
Patriotic Old Comrades' League
(POCL) in 1988.
He was elected as the MP for
Yangon Region
Mayangon Township
Constituency No. 1 in the
1990 Myanmar general election
. He was also chairman of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP), a group of successful candidates in the 1990 elections.
[8]
[9]
Personal life and death
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He died on 13 August 2017 at Victoria Hospital in
Yangon
,
Myanmar
. He is survived by his three sons and three daughters namely Aung Than Shwe, Than Pe Shwe, Aung Myint Shwe, Yuzana Shwe, Myinzu Shwe and Sabai Shwe.
[10]
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References
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