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| Soe Win | |
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In office October 19, 2004 – October 12, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Khin Nyunt |
| Succeeded by | Thein Sein |
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| Born | 1948[1] Taunggyi, Myanmar |
| Died | October 12, 2007 Yangon |
| Political party | Appointed by State Peace and Development Council |
| Spouse(s) | Than Than Nwe |
| Religion | Buddhist |
General Soe Win (Burmese: စိုးဝင်း; IPA: [sóu wín]; 1948 – October 12, 2007) was the Prime Minister of Burma and Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council from 2004 to 2007.
He was known by Burmese dissident groups as "the butcher of Depayin" for his role as mastermind of the 2003 Depayin Massacre, in which 70 National League for Democracy supporters were killed by a government-sponsored mob.[2]
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Soe Win was born in 1948.[1] A graduate of the Defense Services Academy (12th intake), he took part in the crackdown on democracy protesters in 1988, deploying troops around Rangoon University and ordering them to shoot at Rangoon General Hospital during the upheaval. He became Tactical Operations Commander 3 of the Northwestern Regional Command in 1990.
In 1997 he was named Regional Commander and a member of the junta, then called the State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC. In November 2001 he was named Air Defense General of the War Office.
In February 2003 he was promoted to Secretary-2 of the junta, which was vacant after Lieutenant General Tin Oo was killed in a helicopter crash two years before.
Soe Win is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the deadly attack against National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters in the May 30, 2003 Depayin Massacre.
The same year he accompanied Senior General Than Shwe on state visits to Vietnam and China. Soe Win also signed the order to dismiss Foreign Minister Win Aung and his deputy in September 2003.[2]
A devout Buddhist, Soe Win upped the persecution against the predominantly Christian Chin when he was the Northwestern Regional Commander in Chin State.
Soe Win was appointed prime minister by State Peace and Development Council chairman Than Shwe on October 19, 2004. Soe Win succeeded Khin Nyunt, who officially had been "permitted to retire for health reasons", but the reformist-minded premier had actually fallen out of favor with Than Shwe.[3][4] Khin Nyunt was later convicted by a special tribunal of corruption charges and sentenced to 44 years in prison.
As Secretary-1 in the SPDC and prime minister, Soe Win was third in the leadership structure under Senior General Than Shwe and SPDC vice-chairman, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye. A senior member of the SPDC, Soe Win was close to Than Shwe, and the two men saw eye-to-eye on “nation building projects”, which included constructing dams, roads and bridges.
With his appointment as prime minister, he took a tougher line against political reform than did his immediate predecessor, Khin Nyunt. He was quoted as saying in January 2003 "the SPDC not only won’t talk to the NLD but also would never hand over power to the NLD."[2]
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In March 2007, Soe Win was admitted to a private hospital in Singapore. The government was secretive about the nature of his illness, though it was reported in the media that he was suffering from leukemia. He returned to Burma on May 3, 2007, but then returned to Singapore later that month. The Burmese embassy in Singapore said he was being treated for a "serious health matter".
In April 2007,[5] Lieutenant General Thein Sein was appointed acting prime minister in Soe Win's absence.[6][7]
On October 1, 2007, in the wake of the anti-government protests, Soe Win returned to Burma. His condition was reported as "very ill" and he was admitted to a military hospital in Mingalardon Township, Rangoon.[8]
Mizzima News reported that Soe Win died at around 5:00 p.m. local time on October 2, 2007. [9] The report was carried by various other news outlets without independent verification.[8][10][11][12]
Other sources, however, reported that Soe Win's death was a rumour only, and that he was still alive in the Intensive Care Unit at Mingalardon Hospital.[8][13][14][15]
On October 5, 2007, Mizzima News issued a correction to their report, quoting a family source who said: "He is still in the Mingalardon hospital. But doctors said his condition is critical."[16]
Soe Win's death was officially announced by the military authorities on October 12. He died in Mingalardon Hospital, aged 59, from leukemia.[17][18] His twin brother Major-General Tin Htun had died on September 19, 2007 of leukemia.[19][20]
| Preceded by Khin Nyunt |
Prime Minister of
Burma 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Thein Sein |
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  | Burmese junta choose stand-in PM - BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Burmese junta choose stand-in PM |
| | Ailing Burmese Prime Minister dies - Bangkok's Independent Newspaper |
| | Khin Nyunt's fall from grace - BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Khin Nyunt's fall from grace |
| | Breaking News: Myanmarese Prime Minister dead - Breaking News: Myanmarese Prime Minister dead |
| | Burma PM enters intensive care unit - Bangkok's Independent Newspaper |
| | Mizzima News Correction apologizes ONLY to readers - 2Bangkok.com Forum - View Single Post - JuntaWatch:DirtyDiplosDoubleDozen |
| | Burma prime minister Soe Win dies - BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Burma prime minister Soe Win dies |
| | Burma Prime Minister Soe Win dies after long illness - Burma Prime Minister Soe Win dies after long illness - USATODAY.com |
| | After long illness PM passes away - Myanmar Times & Business Reviews |
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