Ne Win

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This article is about the president of Burma. For the Thai politician, see Newin Chidchob. For other uses, see Ne Win (disambiguation).
In this
Burmese name, the given name
is Ne Win. There is no family name.

Prime Minister of Burma
In office
29 October 1958 – 4 April 1960
PresidentWin Maung
Preceded byU Nu
Succeeded byU Nu
In office
2 March 1962 – 2 March 1974
Preceded byU Nu
Succeeded bySein Win
Personal details
Born
Shu Maung
General

Ne Win (

military dictator during the Socialist Burma period of 1962 to 1988.[a]

Ne Win founded the

SLORC). He held minor influence in the 1990s but was eventually placed under house arrest, under which he died in 2002.[13]

In foreign affairs, Ne Win followed a strictly

Communist insurgency within Burma and the outbreak of anti-Chinese riots by regime supporters; however, in March 1971 relations were fully restored and Chinese economic aid continued.[15]

Date of birth

Ne Win's

biographical references, the discrepancies among sources warrant acknowledgment. These conflicting accounts highlight the challenges in determining Ne Win's exact birthdate and may stem from differences in historical documentation or cultural interpretations. Therefore, while May 24, 1911, is commonly accepted, alternative dates cannot be disregarded entirely.[19]

Prime Minister of Burma
in 8 June 1959

Kyaw Nyein's date of 1910 can be considered as the more plausible date. First, Kyaw Nyein had access to historical records and he interviewed many surviving members of the Thirty Comrades when he wrote the book in the mid-to late 1990s.[20] (Ne Win was one of the Thirty Comrades who secretly went to undergo military training in the early 1940s for the purpose of fighting for independence from the British).[21] In his book published around 1998, Kyaw Nyein lists the names of the surviving members of the Thirty Comrades whom he had interviewed, although Ne Win was not mentioned among them.[22] Secondly, when Ne Win died on 5 December 2002, the Burmese language newspapers that were allowed to carry a paid obituary stated the age of 'U Ne Win' to be '93 years'.[23] According to Burmese custom, a person's age is their age upon their next birthday.[24] Since Ne Win turned 92 in July 2002, when he died in December 2002 he was considered to be 93 years old.[25] Most Western news agencies, based on the May 1911 birth date, reported that Ne Win was 91 years old, but the obituary put up by his family (most probably his children) stated that he was 93 years old, which most likely stems from East Asian age reckoning.[26]

Early life and struggle for independence

Ne Win, born Shu Maung (ရှုမောင်), was born into an ethnic

British forces. Ne Win's role in the campaign was to organize resistance behind the British lines.[32]

The experience of the

AFPFL.[37]

Post-independence civil war

Following

uprisings in the army and among ethnic minority groups. In late 1948, after a confrontation between army rivals, Ne Win was appointed second in command of the army and his rival Bo Zeya, a communist commander and fellow member of the Thirty Comrades, took a portion of the army into rebellion.[38] Ne Win immediately adopted a policy of creating Socialist militia battalions called 'Sitwundan' under his personal command with the approval of U Nu.[39] On 31 January 1949, Ne Win was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) and given total control of the army, replacing General Smith Dun, an ethnic Karen. He rebuilt and restructured the armed forces along the ruling Socialist Party's political lines, but the country was still split and the government was ineffective.[40]

Interim prime minister

He was asked to serve as

government in parliament. Ne Win restored order during the period known as the "Ne Win caretaker government".[41] Elections were held in February 1960 and Ne Win handed back power to the victorious U Nu on 4 April 1960.[42]

Military coup of 1962

Main article: 1962 Burmese coup d'état

On 2 March 1962, Ne Win again seized power in a

Burma," the new regime suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislature.[43]

Following

riots at Rangoon University in July 1962, troops were sent to restore order. They fired on protesters and destroyed the student union building.[44]

Shortly afterward, around 8 pm local time, Ne Win addressed the nation in a five-minute

universities were closed for more than two years until September 1964.[47]

In 1988, 26 years later, Ne Win denied involvement in the dynamiting of the Student Union building, stating that his deputy Brigadier Aung Gyi – who by that time had fallen out with Ne Win and been dismissed – had given the order and that he had to take responsibility as a "revolutionary leader" by giving the sword with sword and spear with spear speech.[48]

Burmese Way to Socialism (1962–1988)

Main article: Burmese Way to Socialism
Ne Win with Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi during their visit to Burma in 31 May 1964

Ne Win oversaw a number of

instituted a system including elements of nationalism, Marxism, and Buddhism,[49] though Ne Win lacked interest in either ideology or religion – terming this the Burmese Way to Socialism. He founded the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), which in 1964 was formally declared to be the only legal party.[50]

A system of

public education was introduced. A campaign to liquidate illiteracy was carried out starting in 1965.[51] Between 1962 and 1965 important laws against landlords and usury were adopted. They aimed at protecting peasants' rights to land and property and to renting the land. These measures included the law abolishing rents on land.[52]

On 2 March 1974, he disbanded the

Brigadier General Sein Win as Prime Minister.[53] On 9 November 1981, Ne Win resigned as president and was succeeded in that post by General San Yu. However, Ne Win remained leader of the party and thus remained the ultimate political authority in the land until his resignation
in 1988.

Economic policies

Ne Win with Chinese president Liu Shaoqi in June 1966

Ne Win's government nationalized the

Burma from the world. The ubiquitous black market and rampant smuggling supplied the needs of the people, while the central government slid slowly into bankruptcy.[54] Autarky also involved expelling foreigners and restricting visits by foreigners to three days, and after 1972, one week. Even foreign aid organizations were banned; the only humanitarian aid permitted was on an intergovernmental basis. Furthermore, heavy-handed political oppression caused many in the educated workforce to emigrate.[55]

Ne Win also took drastic steps regarding the

black-marketeers and were also used to finance the various insurgencies. Though limited compensation was offered, this wiped out people's savings overnight. At least one insurgency, that of the ethnic Kayan, was triggered by this act.[56]

In 1987, reportedly on the recommendation of an

assassination attempt.[60]

Ne Win resigned as chairman of the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) on 23 July 1988 at the height of the uprising against his regime, and roughly one year after the United Nations declared Burma a "Least Developed Country".[61]

Student and worker riots

Sporadic protests against the government continued. Students led protests in 1965, December 1969, and December 1970.

Shwedagon pagoda, next to the tomb of Thakin Kodaw Hmaing.[65][66]

1967 anti-Chinese riots

Main article: 1967 anti-Chinese riots in Burma
Burma.[69]

Since Ne Win made

Burma.[73]

8888 Uprising, resignation, and military coup (1975–1988)

Main article: 8888 Uprising

Students from universities throughout

Rangoon demonstrated again in June 1975 in commemoration of the previous year's Labour Strike. Student-led demonstrations also occurred in March 1976, September 1987, March and June 1988.[74] In August and September 1988, these demonstrations turned into a nationwide uprising against BSPP rule in what is now known as the 'Four Eights Uprising'.[75]

The

common people protested against the government.[78][79] The uprising ended on 18 September after a bloody military coup by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Thousands of deaths have been attributed to the military during this uprising,[76][80][81] while authorities in Myanmar put the figure at around 350 people killed.[82][83]

At the height of the

Burma from the period of 8 to 12 August 1988 and again on 18 September 1988, proving that Ne Win's farewell speech was not an empty threat.[85][86]

On 18 September 1988 the military led by Senior General Saw Maung dispelled any hopes for democracy by brutally crushing the uprisings. It is widely believed that Ne Win, though in apparent retirement, orchestrated the coup from behind the scenes.[87]

For about ten years, Ne Win kept a low profile but remained a shadowy figure exercising at least some influence on the military junta.[88] After 1998, Ne Win's influence on the junta began to wane.

Death and funeral

Still under

Burmese media or the junta. The only mention of Ne Win's death was a paid obituary notice that appeared in some of the government-controlled Burmese language newspapers. Ne Win was not given a state funeral, and his former contacts or junior colleagues were strongly discouraged from attending a hastily arranged funeral, so that only thirty people attended the funeral.[90][91]

Ne Win's daughter

Hlaing River.[92]

Ne Win's grandson Aye Ne Win and Kyaw Ne Win were released in 2013.[93]

Family

Ne Win was married six times:[94][failed verification]

  1. He was first married to Daw Than Nyunt, who bore him a son, Kyaw Thein.
  2. He was second married to Tin Tin, who bore him two sons, Ngwe Soe and Aye Aung.
  3. He then married Khin May Than (Katie Ba Than), daughter of Professor Ba Than, the former dean of Rangoon medical school. The couple had two daughters and a son between them, Sandar Win, Kye Mon Win, and Phyo Wai Win. Khin May Than brought three daughters from her first marriage, Le Le Win and twins Thida Win and Thawdar Win, into the family. Khin May Than was Ne Win's favourite wife and her death in 1972 was a heavy blow to him.
  4. He then married Ni Ni Myint, a university teacher, whom he divorced.
  5. He then married
    Crown Prince Ka Naung
    .
  6. He remarried his former wife Ni Ni Myint.

Explanatory notes

  1. Union of Burma for 12 years from 2 March 1962 to 2 March 1974 and then later the President of Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma for 7 years and 252 days from 2 March 1974 to 9 November 1981.(See list
    )
  2. ^ "U" is an honorific in Burmese, roughly equal to "Mr" or "Uncle".

Citations

  1. ^ Letter from Premier Zhou Enlai to His Excellency Ne Win
  2. ^ General Ne Win, the first military general who led the 1962 coup, was posthumously named Agga Maha Thray Sithu, the second-highest honor. Former military leader Than Shwe, who picked Min Aung Hlaing as his successor as commander-in-chief, was given the same title.
  3. ^ a b "U Ne Win". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Ne Win (Shu Maung), Burmese military strongman, born May 24 1911; died December 5 2002".
  5. ^ "Ne Win, Ex-Burmese Military Strongman, Dies at 81".
  6. ^ "U Ne Win (born May 24, 1911, Paungdale, Burma [Myanmar]—died December 5, 2002, Yangon, Myanmar) was a Burmese general who was the leader of Burma (now Myanmar) from 1962 to 1988". Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ "U Ne Win | Myanmar general and dictator". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. JSTOR 40394388
    .
  9. ^ Frank Milne (23 November 2015). "Review of General Ne Win: A Political Biography". New Mandala.
  10. ^ Lindsay Maizland (31 January 2022). "Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta for many of the years since it gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948. The Union of Burma began as a parliamentary democracy, like most of its newly independent neighbors on the Indian subcontinent. But representative democracy only lasted until 1962, when General Ne Win led a military coup and held power for the next twenty-six years". Council on Foreign Relations.
  11. Biography.com. Archived
    from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. ^ Taylor 2015, p. 67.
  13. ^ "Ne Win: Understanding the 'old man'". Frontier Myanmar. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  14. ^ Yawnghwe 1990, p. 45-47.
  15. ^ Ne Win Military Rule – Neutralism and Seclusion Archived 16 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine Globalsecurity.org
  16. ^ Taylor 2015, pp. 7–9.
  17. ^ Ne Win was known as described as the leader of Myanmar and there are two assumptions of his birth.(Taylor 2015, pp. 3–4)
  18. ^ Mya 1992, pp. 1–2.
  19. Britannica
    .
  20. ^ Taylor 2015, pp. 13–15.
  21. ^ Maung 1965, p. 9.
  22. ^ Mya 1992, pp. 4–8.
  23. ^ The age of the Myanmar's dictator may be 93 years.Taylor 2015, p. 74
  24. ISBN 978-0-210-98196-2. Archived
    from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  25. JSTOR 2643067. Archived
    from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  26. ^ "Ne Win". Oxford Reference. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  27. ^ Smith, Martin (6 December 2002). "General Ne Win". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  28. ISBN 80-7359-002-6
    .
  29. ^ Maung 1965, pp. 3–4.
  30. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived
    from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  31. ^ Taylor 2015, p. 23.
  32. ^ Maung 1965, p. 14.
  33. ^ Can-pati 1965, pp. 45–49.
  34. ^ Can-pati 1965, pp. 56–57.
  35. JSTOR 41394695. Archived
    from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  36. ^ Yawnghwe 1990, p. 130.
  37. ^ Taylor 2015, pp. 34–39.
  38. ^ Maung 1965, p. 76.
  39. ^ Mya 1992, p. 23.
  40. ^ Yawnghwe 1990, pp. 29–31.
  41. ISBN 0-521-35505-2
    .
  42. ^ "U Nu | prime minister of Myanmar". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2020. Alt URL Archived 27 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  43. ISBN 1861899017
    .
  44. ISBN 0-521-83989-0
  45. ^ The Burmese phrase is "dah go dah gyin, hlan go hlan gyin". Two different English translations of the speech can be read on the front page of the Rangoon Nation and the Rangoon Guardian of 9 July 1962. Part of The Nation's headline of 9 July 1962 read 'General Ne Win States Give Us Time to Work: Obstructionists are Warned: Will Fight Sword with Sword').
  46. ^ News items of Ne Win's trip to these countries for 'medical check up' can be found in The Guardian and The Nation of 14 July 1962
  47. ^ Maung 1965, p. 59.
  48. ISBN 978-0-8248-3362-6
    .
  49. ^ Win, Chong (23 December 2018). "Brief history of Burma". News.Channel4. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  50. JSTOR 2642500. Archived
    from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  51. S2CID 159753249. Archived
    from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  52. ISBN 978-4-87297-748-6
    .
  53. ^ Steinberg, David I. (1997). "Burma's way to Economics and Politics" (PDF). The Asia Foundation Working Paper Series. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  54. ^ "Power & Money: Economics and Conflict in Burma". www.culturalsurvival.org. 9 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  55. ^ "Myanmar – Since independence". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  56. ^ "Burma: Prospects for Reform of Ne Win's 'No Win' Economic Policies" [censored word(s)#93;" (PDF). CIA. 1 July 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  57. ^ George Packer, "Drowning" Archived 30 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The New Yorker, 25 August 2008
  58. ISBN 978-1-920942-00-7. Archived
    from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  59. ^ "Bruin Alliance of Skeptics and Secularists » How Astrology Ruined Myanmar's Economy". Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  60. ^ "Inside Burma :: DGMoen.net :: Promoting Social Justice, Human Rights, and Peace". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  61. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived
    from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  62. ISBN 978-0-8047-2560-6
  63. ^ "The Burma road to ruin". The Guardian. 28 September 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  64. ISBN 978-1-59942-994-6
  65. ^ "Myanmar Data – Ne Win (Burmese: ေနဝင္‌း IPA: [nè wín]; 24 May or 14 May 1911 or 10 July 1910 – 5 December 2002; born Xiu Mao)". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  66. ISBN 978-0-8047-4227-6
  67. ^ Murray, Chinese Education in South-East Asia, p. 190
  68. ^ Murray, Chinese Education in South-East Asia, p. 191
  69. ^ a b Martin Smith (1991). Burma – Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London, New Jersey: Zed Books. pp. 39, 98, 153–154, 225–226.
  70. ISBN 0-87840-893-2
    .
  71. ISBN 0-312-17576-0
    .
  72. ISBN 978-1-56720-302-8
    .
  73. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived
    from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  74. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2020. Alt URL Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  75. ^ Taylor 2015, pp. 454–461.
  76. ^ a b Ferrara (2003), p. 313
  77. ^ Burma Watcher (1989)
  78. ^ Steinberg (2002)
  79. ^ Aung-Thwin, Maureen. (1989). Burmese Days Archived 23 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Foreign Affairs.
  80. ^ Fogarty, Phillipa (7 August 2008). Was Burma's 1988 uprising worth it? Archived 12 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News.
  81. ^ Wintle (2007)
  82. ^ Ottawa Citizen. 24 September 1988. P. A.16
  83. ^ Associated Press. Chicago Tribune. 26 September 1988.
  84. ^ The English translation of Ne Win's speech can be found in 24 July 1988 issues of the Rangoon Guardian and The Working People's Daily.
  85. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived
    from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  86. JSTOR 40394388. Archived
    from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  87. ISBN 0-8225-4931-X
    .
  88. ^ Listopadov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich. "U NE VIN." Voprosy Istorii no. 11 (November 1997): 56–78.
  89. ^ "Former Myanmar President U Ne Win Dies". People's Daily China 5 December 2002. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  90. ^ "U Ne Win | Myanmar general and dictator". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  91. ^ "Ne Win, dictator who ruined Burma, is dead". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 December 2002. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020. Alt URL Archived 9 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  92. ^ "After the release of Ne's daughter, Sandar Win she dispersed her father in the river of Yangon river." (Taylor 2015, p. 610)
  93. ^ Ei Ei Toe Lwin (18 November 2013). "Prisoners freed, but 60 remain behind bars". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  94. ^ "Obituary: Ne Win". BBC News. 5 December 2002. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.

General bibliography

Political offices
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Burma

Acting
1958–1960 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Win Maung
as President of Burma
Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Burma

1962–1974 		Succeeded by
Himself as President
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Burma

1962–1964 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Himself as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council
President of Burma

1974–1981 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
None
 Chairman of the Burma Socialist Programme Party
1962–1988 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Chief of General Staff of the Tatmadaw
1949–1972 		Succeeded by
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