{"id":7193,"date":"2025-08-09T04:47:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T22:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=7193"},"modified":"2025-08-09T04:47:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T22:17:57","slug":"the-death-of-former-acting-president-myint-swe-and-reflections-on-the-military-dictatorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/08\/the-death-of-former-acting-president-myint-swe-and-reflections-on-the-military-dictatorship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Death of Former Acting President Myint Swe and Reflections on the Military Dictatorship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 7 Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

(MoeMaKa August 8, 2025):<\/p>\n

\n

The Death of Former Acting President Myint Swe and Reflections on the Military Dictatorship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Myint Swe<\/strong>, former Acting President and retired Lieutenant General<\/strong>, passed away on Friday morning at a military hospital in Naypyidaw at the age of 74<\/strong> after a prolonged illness. He was known as a loyal military officer under former junta leader Than Shwe<\/strong>, and like many generals in Myanmar\u2019s military, he amassed wealth and power during his service.<\/p>\n

He was not known for any particular political ideology or national vision. He simply did what he was ordered to do by his superiors. Those who knew him say he was a career soldier who strictly followed the military chain of command, executing orders without personal conviction or independent judgment.<\/p>\n

A former senior civilian official who worked with him in the 1990s recalled that Myint Swe, then a Major<\/strong> in the military office, would personally drive to pick up officials in his Mazda 4WD<\/strong> when instructed by Than Shwe. According to BBC Burmese, Myint Swe was someone who spent decades inside the military bureaucracy and rose by always staying close to power.<\/p>\n

From the mid-1990s, he remained loyal to Than Shwe<\/strong>, but after the 2015 general election, Min Aung Hlaing<\/strong>\u2014the current junta leader\u2014nominated him for Vice President. From that point onward, he followed Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s orders without question, even though he had served Than Shwe for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

Myint Swe played a key role in the military\u2019s 2021 coup<\/strong>, helping to justify it under the pretense of legality according to the 2008 Constitution<\/strong>. As Vice President at the time, he acted as a key figure in executing the coup based on Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s directives.<\/p>\n

Before 2015, he had served as Chief Minister of Yangon Region<\/strong>, and most believed his political career would end with that position. But in 2016, when the military nominated him as Vice President in the new parliament, even close associates were surprised. His willingness to accept a role under a junior from the military academy (Min Aung Hlaing was four years behind him) showed his continued loyalty to the chain of command.<\/p>\n

Similar to Khin Nyunt<\/strong>, the former intelligence chief under dictator Ne Win<\/strong>, Myint Swe remained loyal to whoever held power. Khin Nyunt, despite being Ne Win\u2019s trusted man, was ousted and imprisoned by Than Shwe in 2004. Myint Swe was involved in executing that purge and arrest.<\/p>\n

Myint Swe represents a type of military officer who does not question orders but carries them out to the letter. He exemplifies the military tradition of loyalty not to the nation but to whoever holds the reins of power. His life ended without major downfall or reckoning, even though he had been part of some of the darkest chapters in Myanmar\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Some in the pro-democracy movement remember him as one of the key figures responsible<\/strong> for the violent crackdown during the 2007 Saffron Revolution<\/strong>, during which Buddhist monks were killed and peaceful protesters beaten and arrested. Many express regret that he died without facing justice.<\/p>\n

There is still hope that today\u2019s junta leaders will someday be held accountable<\/strong> for war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, even decades after independence<\/strong>, the military has never faced justice for the mass atrocities it committed, such as the burning of villages, forced displacements, and genocidal campaigns. There has been no transitional justice process<\/strong> to address these crimes.<\/p>\n

One reason is that the military has ruled Myanmar for so long that those responsible for these crimes remain in power or have passed their power on<\/strong> to successors through an entrenched military system. This makes accountability difficult.<\/p>\n

Many have mistakenly believed that once a key figure in the dictatorship dies\u2014whether Ne Win<\/strong>, Saw Maung<\/strong>, Than Shwe<\/strong>, or now Myint Swe\u2014the system would collapse. But the military dictatorship has continued in a cycle of promotion and handover from one general to another.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it is important to focus on dismantling the system<\/strong>, not just the individuals. Ending military dictatorship requires structural change, not merely the departure of one leader<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Figures like Ne Win, Than Shwe, and Min Aung Hlaing are merely representatives<\/strong> of the system. Their deaths or retirements do not mean the end of military dictatorship.<\/p>\n

The passing of Myint Swe\u2014former Vice President and Acting President\u2014does not mark the end of dictatorship<\/strong>. And even if Min Aung Hlaing were to die, that alone<\/strong> would not mean dictatorship is over.<\/p>\n

Only when the system itself<\/strong> is dismantled, along with its policies, power structures, and military control, can we say the military dictatorship in Myanmar has truly ended.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 7 Perspective (MoeMaKa August 8, 2025): The Death of Former Acting President Myint Swe and Reflections on the Military Dictatorship Myint Swe, former Acting President and retired Lieutenant General, passed away on Friday morning at…<\/p>\n

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