Latest news with #MyintSwe
NHK
a day ago
- Politics
- NHK
August 8 NEWSROOM TOKYO Bangkok Live
Lineup: 1. 'One Piece' flags flying in likely protest at Indonesian govt. 2. Myanmar's acting president Myint Swe dies after illness 3. Japan-Vietnam delegation in talks on boosting cooperation
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Junta's acting president dies at 74
Limited power: Myint Swe was largely a figurehead during his stint as acting president. — AP MYINT Swe, the country's acting president and a former general sanctioned by the United States for his role in a coup, has died at the age of 74 from Parkinson's disease and related neurological disorders. His death was announced by the press office of the National Defence and Security Council. 'Acting President Myint Swe passed away at 8.28am,' it said in a statement yesterday, adding that a state funeral is planned, without mentioning the exact date. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to fully assume Myint Swe's duties. He has already been serving as acting president during National Defence Council meetings in the capital Naypyidaw. Myint Swe, a former lieutenant-general, became the acting president after the military ousted the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi during a February 2021 coup. He was seen as a junta stalwart and mostly a ceremonial figure under Min Aung Hlaing. Myint Swe previously served as army-appointed first vice-president and was sanctioned by the United States alongside Min Aung Hlaing for being one of the 'perpetrators' of the coup. The US Treasury said in its sanctions notice that he was one of the people 'who played a leading role in the overthrow of Burma's democratically elected government'. Since the coup, Myint Swe has rarely been seen in public. As the chair of the National Defence and Security Council, he was mainly responsible for granting and renewing the military chief's powers during the prolonged state of emergency until he took medical leave on July 18, 2024. After receiving treatment in Singapore and Naypyidaw in mid-2024 and continuing care at home, Myint Swe was sidelined. Min Aung Hlaing assumed his duties, extending emergency rule twice before lifting it last week. A close ally of former junta chief Than Shwe, Myint Swe served in the military for about four decades before becoming Yangon's chief minister in 2011. He was reportedly responsible for the previous junta's violent crackdown on protesters during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. The United States sanctioned him but removed the designation in 2016. In 2017, Myint Swe led an inquiry into the military's so-called clearance operations in Rakhine state, which forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and drew global condemnation. The Myint Swe-led commission dismissed allegations of genocide, saying there was 'insufficient evidence to take legal action'. — Bloomberg
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Japan Times
Myanmar's U.S.-sanctioned figurehead leader Myint Swe dies at 74
Myint Swe, Myanmar's acting president and a former general sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in a 2021 coup, died at the age of 74 from Parkinson's disease and related neurological disorders. His death, on Thursday, was announced by the press office of the National Defense and Security Council. "Acting President Myint Swe passed away at 8:28 a.m. local time,' it said in a statement, adding a state funeral is planned, without mentioning the exact date. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to fully assume Myint Swe's duties. He has already been serving as acting president during National Defense Council meetings in the capital Naypyidaw. Myint Swe, a former lieutenant general, became the acting president after the military ousted the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi during a February 2021 coup. He was seen as a junta stalwart and mostly a ceremonial figure under Min Aung Hlaing. Myint Swe previously served as the army-appointed first vice president and was sanctioned by the U.S. alongside Min Aung Hlaing for being one of the "perpetrators' of the coup. The U.S. Treasury said in its sanctions notice that he was one of the people "who played a leading role in the overthrow of Burma's democratically elected government.' Since the coup, Myint Swe has rarely been seen in public. As the chair of the National Defense and Security Council, he was mainly responsible for granting and renewing the military chief's powers during the prolonged state of emergency until he took medical leave on July 18, 2024. After receiving treatment in Singapore and Naypyidaw around mid-2024 and continuing care at home, Myint Swe was sidelined. Min Aung Hlaing assumed his duties, extending emergency rule twice before lifting it last week. A close ally of former junta chief Than Shwe, Myint Swe served in the military for about four decades before becoming the Yangon region's chief minister in 2011. He was reportedly responsible for the previous junta's violent crackdown on protesters during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. The U.S. sanctioned him but removed the designation in 2016. In 2017, Myint Swe led an inquiry into the military's so-called clearance operations in Rakhine state, which forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and drew global condemnation. The Myint Swe-led commission dismissed allegations of genocide, saying there was "insufficient evidence to take legal action.'
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Myanmar: Myint Swe, who became Acting President after junta toppled Suu Kyi govt, dies at 74
Myint Swe, the acting president of Myanmar since the military coup in 2021, has died at the age of 74. He withdrew from public life last year after the state media reported he was suffering from neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease. read more Myanmar then-Vice President Myint Swe (later acting president) speaks during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 73rd anniversary of Union Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Feb. 12, 2020. (Photo: Aung Shine Oo/AP) Myint Swe, who became Myanmar's acting president under controversial circumstances after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, died on Thursday, the military said. He was 74. He died at a military hospital in the capital, Naypyitaw, on Thursday morning, according to a statement from Myanmar's military information office. Myint Swe's death came more than a year after he stopped actively carrying out his presidential duties after he was publicly reported to be ailing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His funeral will be held at the state level but the date has not been disclosed, a separate statement from the military information office said. State media reported on Tuesday that he had been in critical condition and receiving intensive care since July 24 at a military hospital in Naypyitaw. State media announced in July last year that Myint Swe was suffering from neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, which left him unable to carry out normal daily activities, including eating. A few days later, he authorized Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, to assume his presidential duties while he was on medical leave, the reports said. Myint Swe became acting president on Feb. 1, 2021, after the military arrested former President Win Myint along with Myanmar's top leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, when the army seized power. Myint Swe, a member of a pro-military party, took over the presidency under the constitution because he held the post of first vice president. Legal experts questioned the legitimacy of the move because Win Myint neither stepped down from his post nor was incapacitated. As acting president, Myint Swe chaired the National Defense and Security Council, which is nominally a constitutional government body, but in practice is controlled by the military. The council operates as the country's top decision-making body related to national security, with the authority to declare a state of emergency and oversee military and defense affairs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Myint Swe's appointment and acquiescence to the army's demands allowed the council to be convened to declare a state of emergency and hand over power to Min Aung Hlaing, who led the army's takeover. During his time in office, Myint Swe could only perform the pro forma duties of his job, such as issuing decrees to renew the state of emergency, because Min Aung Hlaing controlled all government functions. Myint Swe, a former general, was a close ally of Than Shwe, who led a previous military government but stepped down to allow the transition to a quasi-civilian government beginning in 2011. Myint Swe was chief minister of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, under the quasi-civilian government between 2011 and 2016, and headed its regional military command for years under the previous military government, which stepped down in 2011. During Buddhist monk-led popular protests in 2007 known internationally as the Saffron Revolution, he took charge of restoring order after weeks of unrest in the city, overseeing a crackdown that killed dozens of people. Hundreds of others were arrested. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Though he did not have a prominent international profile, Myint Swe played a key role in the military and politics. In 2002, he participated in the arrest of family members of former dictator Ne Win, according to accounts in Myanmar media. He also arrested former Gen. Khin Nyunt at Yangon Airport during a 2004 purge of the former prime minister and his supporters that involved a power struggle inside the military. Soon afterward, Myint Swe took command of the sprawling military intelligence apparatus that had been Khin Nyunt's power base. Myint Swe was among military leaders sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department following the military takeover and arrest of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior politicians in February 2021. He was survived by his wife and two children. (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been edited by Firstpost.)
UPI
2 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Myanmar's junta-picked acting president dies
Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Myanmar's junta-appointed acting President U Myint Swe died Thursday morning, weeks after he was declared unable to perform his mostly ceremonial duties due to Parkinson's disease. He was 74. Myint Swe died at 8:28 a.m. local time at the No. 2 Defense Services General Hospital, the National Defense Security Council said in a statement. Myint Swe, a former general, was vice president of Myanmar during the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup. He was appointed acting president after the country's civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested. According to the National Defense and Security Council, Myint Swe began experiencing "sluggishness in movement and the ability to consume food and nutrients" in early 2023, and was soon diagnosed with Parkinson's, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls is a progressive nervous system disorder that afects movement and has no cure. In April of last year, he received medical treatment at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Medical Center. Then from late May to mid-June of this year, he received treatment again, this time at the No. 2 Defense Services General Hospital in Myanmar. According to officials, Myint Swe experience wight loss, loss of appetite, fever and a decline in cognitive function last month, and was placed on medical leave July 18 and then hospitalized on July 24. He was listed as in critical condition after being hospitalized in the Special Intensive Care Unit of the No. 2 Defense Services General Hospital, where he died Thursday morning. A period of mourning has been declared from Thursday to Monday, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast. The coup of 2021 has upended the country, which has been embroiled in civil war since. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 7,000 civilians have been killed by junta forces amid the civil war and 22,000 remain arbitrarily detained. The United Nations estimates 22 million are in need of assistance and more than 3.5 million have been displaced by the fighting.
