Myint Swe Explained

Honorific-Prefix:His Excellency
Thiri Thudhamma[1]
Lieutenant General
Myint Swe
Native Name Lang:my
Order:Acting
Office:President of Myanmar
1Blankname:Prime Minister
1Namedata:Min Aung Hlaing
Term Start:1 February 2021
Term End:22 July 2024
Predecessor:Win Myint
Successor:Min Aung Hlaing (acting)
Vicepresident:Henry Van Thio
(until 2024)
1Namedata1:Aung San Suu Kyi
Term Start1:21 March 2018
Term End1:30 March 2018
Predecessor1:Htin Kyaw
Successor1:Win Myint
Vicepresident1:Henry Van Thio
Office2:3rd First Vice President of Myanmar
President2:Htin Kyaw
Himself (acting)
Win Myint
Himself (acting)
Min Aung Hlaing (acting)
Term Start2:30 March 2016
Predecessor2:Sai Mauk Kham
Alongside2:Henry Van Thio
(2016-2024)
Office3:1st Chief Minister of Yangon Region
Term Start3:30 March 2011
Term End3:30 March 2016
Predecessor3:Office established
Successor3:Phyo Min Thein
Birth Date:1951 5, df=y
Birth Place:Mandalay, Union of Burma (now Myanmar)
Party:Union Solidarity and Development (USDP)
Spouse:Khin Thet Htay
Children:2
Education:Defence Services Academy
Serviceyears:1971–2010
Rank: Lieutenant General

Myint Swe (Burmese: မြင့်ဆွေ; in Burmese pronounced as /mjɪ̰ɰ̃ sʰwè/; born 24 May 1951[2]) is a Burmese politician and retired army officer who is currently Vice President of Myanmar since 30 March 2016 and previously served as Acting President of Myanmar from 1 February 2021 to 22 July 2024 making him the longest serving Acting President in Myanmar history.[3] [4] He also served as the acting president after the resignation of President Htin Kyaw from 21 March 2018 to 30 March 2018, and the chief minister of Yangon Region from 30 March 2011 to 30 March 2016. A member of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), he is an ethnic Mon former lieutenant general in the Myanmar Army.[5] [6]

Myint Swe was declared acting president by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) in the coup d'état on 1 February 2021, after which he immediately declared a state of emergency and formally transferred power to the coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.[7] [8] [9] [10] Throughout his political career, Myint Swe has worked to ensure the Tatmadaw's influence in politics. He has rarely been seen in public since the coup, with Min Aung Hlaing serving as the face of the government. Myint Swe's main role in the military government has been to formally grant and renew Min Aung Hlaing's emergency powers.

Military career

He graduated from the Defence Services Academy (DSA) in 1971 as part of the 15th intake.[11] He became a brigadier general and commander of Light Infantry Division 11 in 1997. He was appointed as Commander of Southeastern Command and member of State Peace and Development Council in 2001. He was transferred as Commander of Yangon Command and promoted to major general. He also acted as Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council.

He became the Chief of Military Security Affairs after General Khin Nyunt was purged in 2004.[12] He became Chief of Bureau of Special Operations – 5 (BSO-5) in January 2006. He is the first ethnic Mon to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in 2005.[2] He was promoted to Quartermaster General and was rumored to be the next in line to replace Vice-Senior General Maung Aye in 2009.[11]

He executed 3 major events while he was commanding the Yangon Command, arresting family members of General Ne Win in 2002 after an alleged coup conspiracy was uncovered, arresting Khin Nyunt and his associates in 2004 in the purge of the Military Intelligence faction and crushing the Saffron Revolution in 2007. His actions after Cyclone Nargis was criticized. He dealt with activists harshly in the pre-2010 general election period.[13]

Political career

Chief Minister of Yangon Region

He was nominated as chief-minister of the Yangon Region after the general election by President Thein Sein. He was tipped to be nominated to become Vice President of Burma after Tin Aung Myint Oo's resignation in 2012, but did not qualify per the Constitution of Burma, as his son-in-law was an Australian citizen at the time.[14]

Vice Presidency

On 11 March 2016, military-appointed MPs of the Assembly of the Union nominated him as one of the Vice Presidents of Myanmar. He received 213 votes on 15 March 2016 and became First Vice President of Htin Kyaw's Cabinet.[15] He was sworn in on 30 March 2016.

Acting President

On 21 March 2018, following the sudden resignation of Htin Kyaw as President of Myanmar, Myint Swe was sworn in as acting president under the Constitution of Myanmar, which also called for the Assembly to select a new president within seven days of Htin Kyaw's resignation.

On 1 February 2021, President Win Myint was removed from office in a coup and detained by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military), so Myint Swe would become Acting President, allowing him to call a meeting of the military-controlled National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) and declare a state of emergency and formally transfer power to coup leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The military maintains that Myint Swe constitutionally assumed the presidency because the constitution states the first vice president becomes acting president if the presidency becomes vacant due to "resignation, death, permanent disability or any other cause". However, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, this interpretation is questionable as the military had no legal authority to detain Win Myint and the constitution provides for an impeachment and removal process which was not followed.[16]

Myint Swe has extended the state of emergency five times[17] [18] by six month periods at meetings of the NSDC, but has not otherwise participated in government. The third extension was especially controversial because the constitution says up to two extensions are "normally" allowed. Myint Swe acknowledged this but justified the extension due to what he said are "unusual circumstances".[19] [20] [21] The junta-packed Constitutional Tribunal affirmed his interpretation.[22] [23]

In a November 2023 meeting of the NSDC, Myint Swe warned that the country was at risk of being "split into various parts" amid the civil war.[24]

On 18 July 2024, state media in Myanmar reported that Myint Swe was suffering from neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, adding that he had been receiving medical treatment since early in 2024 and was unable to eat or carry out other basic functions.[25] On 22 July 2024, he took medical leave and transferred his duties as president to Min Aung Hlaing on an acting basis.[26]

Personal life

Myint Swe is of Mon descent. He is married to Khin Thet Htay, and has two children.[27]

References

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Notes and References

  1. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-regime-leader-awards-himself-two-highest-honorary-titles.html Myanmar Regime Leader Awards Himself Two Highest Honorary Titles
  2. Web site: Lt Gen Myint Swe . 2 July 2008 . Alternative Asean Network on Burma . https://web.archive.org/web/20140624081049/http://www.altsean.org/Research/SPDC%20Whos%20Who/SPDC/MyintSwe.htm . 24 June 2014 . dead .
  3. Web site: 2 February 2021 . Who is Myint Swe — The acting President of Myanmar . Deccan Herald.
  4. News: 11 September 2021 . Armed rebellion risks break-up of Myanmar: junta-backed president . France 24.
  5. News: ဒုသမ္မတအဖြစ် ရွေးချယ်တင်မြှောက်ခံရသူ ကိုယ်ရေးအချက်အလက် အကျဉ်း. 12 March 2016. 12 March 2016. Myanmar Ahlin. 4 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181004145027/http://www.moi.gov.mm/npe:zg/sites/default/files/newspaper-journal/2016/03/12/mal. live.
  6. Web site: CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK. 20 April 2011. Her Majesty's Treasury. UK Government. 24 July 2011. dead. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110402/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/burma.htm. 29 January 2013.
  7. Web site: Myanmar coup: who are the military figures running the country? . The Guardian . 23 February 2021 . 2 February 2021 . 17 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210217120811/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/02/myanmar-coup-who-are-the-military-figures-running-the-country . live .
  8. Web site: Milko . Victoria . Why is the military taking control in the Myanmar coup? . Los Angeles Times . 10 March 2021 . 1 February 2021 . 14 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210314133724/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-02-01/why-military-taking-control-coup-myanmar . live .
  9. Web site: Myanmar Military Seizes Power . The Irrawaddy . 10 March 2021 . 1 February 2021 . 9 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210309165714/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-military-seizes-power.html . live .
  10. Web site: Milko . Victoria . Kurtenbach . Elaine . A decade after junta's end, Myanmar military back in control . Associated Press . 10 March 2021 . 1 February 2021 . 10 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210310231824/https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-coup-aung-san-suu-kyi-a9843c6bf9c85b3944a606017e500162 . live .
  11. News: Min . Lwin . Lt-Gen Myint Swe: Future No 2? . The Irrawaddy . 27 June 2008 . 2 July 2008 . 17 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120217174320/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=13014 . live .
  12. Web site: Myint Soe. www.altsean.org. 14 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140624081049/http://www.altsean.org/Research/SPDC%20Whos%20Who/SPDC/MyintSwe.htm. 24 June 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: Myint Swe Nominated as New Vice-President. The Irrawaddy. 10 July 2012. 14 July 2014. 15 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140715004816/http://www.irrawaddy.org/ceasefire-keywords/myint-swe-nominated-as-new-vice-president.html. live.
  14. News: Myint Swe revealed as military VP pick. Frontier Myanmar. 11 March 2016. Sean Gleeson. 4 October 2018. 30 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214037/https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/news/myint-swe-revealed-as-military-vp-pick. live.
  15. Web site: Myanmar military picks hardliner Myint Swe to work with Suu Kyi's proxy president. 11 March 2016. South China Morning Post. 11 March 2016. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108122454/http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1923519/myanmar-military-picks-hardliner-myint-swe-work-suu-kyis. live.
  16. Web site: Noel . Thibaut . Unconstitutionality of the 2021 Coup in Myanmar . . 15 March 2023 . March 2022 . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315073816/https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/unconstitutionality-of-the-2021-military-coup-in-myanmar.pdf . live .
  17. News: Strangio . Sebastian . Myanmar Junta Extends State of Emergency for Fourth Time . 14 February 2024 . . 1 August 2023.
  18. News: Myanmar military further extends state of emergency . 31 January 2024 . . 31 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240131151021/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/31/myanmar-military-extends-emergency-rule-for-another-six-months . 31 January 2024 . deviated.
  19. News: Junta Watch: Old Faces Reappear, Coup Leader Declares Himself Buddhism's Savior and More . 14 March 2022 . . 5 February 2022 . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220314003635/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/junta-watch-old-faces-reappear-coup-leader-declares-himself-buddhisms-savior-and-more.html . live .
  20. News: Myanmar military rulers extend state of emergency by six months . 1 February 2023 . . 1 February 2023.
  21. Web site: Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. September 2008. Ministry of Information. 27 June 2015. 16 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190816065930/http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf. live.
  22. News: Extension of State of Emergency conforms with Constitution: CT response . 8 February 2023 . Global New Light of Myanmar . 1 February 2023 . 2 . 2 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230202003458/https://cdn.myanmarseo.com/file/client-cdn/gnlm/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2_Feb_23_gnlm.pdf . live .
  23. News: Myanmar Junta Extends Military Rule by Six Months . 6 August 2023 . . 1 February 2023.
  24. News: Myanmar president: country at risk of breaking apart due to clashes . 14 February 2024 . . 9 November 2023.
  25. Web site: The leader of Myanmar’s army government is named acting president so he can renew state of emergency . 2024-07-23 . Associated Press . en-US.
  26. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/22/myanmars-military-chief-named-acting-president Myanmar’s military chief named acting president
  27. Web site: 2021-06-11 . Children of Burma's bloody junta in Sydney deny black money . 2022-08-04 . Kalgoorlie Miner . en . 4 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220804062641/https://www.kalminer.com.au/news/nsw/children-of-burmese-military-living-in-sydney-c-3083900 . live .