Soe win

Soe Win 2004

General Soe Win ( Burmese စိုးဝင်း ; born May 10, 1948 in Taunggyi , Shan State ; † October 12, 2007 in Rangoon , Myanmar ) was a politician and a leading member of the Myanmar (Burma) military junta. Since October 19, 2004, he has been the country's Prime Minister . Soe Win was considered a hardliner and tougher opponent of political reform than his predecessor Khin Nyunt .

Soe Win made a name for himself mainly by suppressing the uprising at the University of Rangoon in 1988. Since February 2003 he has been the second secretary of the Myanmar military junta, known as the State Council for Peace and Development (SPDC). In August 2003, he was promoted to first secretary. He was a member of the mass organization Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and was close to regime leader Than Shwe . It is believed that Soe Win was behind the attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her associates in May 2003. He was therefore referred to in the press as the 'butcher of Depayin' , based on the title given by the former President Sein Lwin . In the same year he accompanied Than Shwe on state visits to Vietnam and China . He signed the dismissal of Foreign Minister Win Aung and his deputy. The devout Buddhist was involved in the persecution of predominantly Christian minorities such as Chin and Karen .

It had long been speculated that Soe Win had leukemia . According to press reports, this was confirmed by his family after his death. He had already been in Singapore in March 2007 to treat this life-threatening disease. He returned to Rangoon in May of that year, but was flown back to Singapore ten days later. On October 1, 2007, Soe Win was transferred back to the military hospital in the Mingaladon district of Rangoon. It was first reported that he died there on October 2nd. This statement was revised on October 5th. According to this, Soe Win was in critical condition in the intensive care unit. After his death, the regime declared a three-day state mourning until October 14, the day of his burial. On September 19, 2007, his twin brother Tin Htun died at the age of 59.

Soe Win was married to Daw Than Than Nwe, most recently President of the Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation, an office traditionally entrusted to the wife of the incumbent Prime Minister.

Because of the serious illness, the leadership of the official business of the Prime Minister Lieutenant General Thein Sein , the First Secretary of the SPDC, was transferred. The Myanmar state press first mentioned this on May 18, 2007.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Xinhua: Myanmar PM passes away in Yangon [1]
2. ↑ ORF: Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win died [2]
3. ↑ DVB: Burmese PM transferred to military hospital Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Mizzima.com: Burmese Prime Minister pass away Burmese Prime Minister pass away - Rampant search continues in Rangoon - Protest plan in Taung Dwingyi foil ( Memento of October 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ Inquirer.net: Myanmar PM enters intensive care Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ The New Light of Myanmar: Announcement No. 4/2007 ( PDF )
7. ↑ DVB: Ailing PM's twin brother dies Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ DVB: Burma's state press names new acting prime minister Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.