Myint Swe, former acting president who backed 2021 coup, dies at 74

Myint Swe, a former military general and trusted ally of two successive Myanmar dictators, Than Shwe and Min Aung Hlaing, has died at the age of 74 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He served as one of the country’s vice presidents from 2016 to 2020, and temporarily assumed the role of acting president after the 2021 military coup, enabling the formal transfer of state power to coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. He died at the Defence Services General Hospital in Naypyidaw at around 8:30 this morning according to the official announcement by regime-run media. His death marks the end of a military career deeply entwined with authoritarian rule in Myanmar and marred by a legacy of brutality, corruption, and loyalty to successive dictatorships. Former general Myint Swe, serving as Acting President after the 2021 military coup, is seen alongside junta chief Min Aung Hlaing during the ceremonial meeting that formally transferred power to the coup leader (Official handout) Born in 1951 in Mandalay, Myint Swe graduated from the Defence Services Academy in 1971. He rose through the ranks during Than Shwe’s dictatorship, serving as the head of the southern command and later the Yangon Regional Military Command.His rapid ascent was bolstered by his close ties to Than Shwe, through which he became a trusted executor of military rule. Myint Swe played a pivotal role in the 2004 purge that removed then-Military Intelligence Chief Khin Nyunt, personally carrying out Than Shwe’s orders to dismantle the intelligence apparatus. He was later appointed head of the newly created Military Affairs Security (MAS) unit, notorious for its harsh treatment of political prisoners. As Yangon regional commander, Myint Swe was directly responsible for the bloody suppression of the 2007 Saffron Revolution, in which Buddhist monks and civilians protesting rising fuel prices were beaten, arrested, and killed. He later told the media he had merely been following orders but was willing to accept the “death penalty” for his actions. Despite his admitted involvement in the repression of nonviolent dissent, he was rewarded with political power under Myanmar’s military-controlled democratic façade. After retiring from the armed services, he stood in the 2010 elections orchestrated by the ruling junta as a candidate for the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), winning a seat and being appointed Chief Minister of Yangon Region. His civilian tenure was dogged by allegations of corruption. During his time as Yangon Chief Minister from 2011 to 2015, audits revealed large-scale misuse of public lands, tenders awarded to private companies at lower than market rates, and significant losses to the public budget. One of the most infamous deals involved the leasing of 80 acres of land near Shwedagon Pagoda to a company for just six kyat per square foot for 25 years, amounting to an annual public loss of over 14 billion kyat. Despite these scandals, Myint Swe maintained he was unafraid of scrutiny. “I take responsibility for my actions. I’m a soldier—I don’t fear anything,” he told Myanmar Now in a 2017 phone interview. Military chief Min Aung Hlaing (centre) and vice presidents Henry Van Thio (left), and Myint Swe (right) leave after attending a meeting in Naypyitaw on August 1, 2018 (Photo: EPA) After the 2015 general elections, Myint Swe was appointed first vice president by the military and later served as acting president in 2018 following the resignation of Htin Kyaw, overseeing the handover of power to President Win Myint. After the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of the National League for Democracy party, Myint Swe was again made acting president by the military and signed off on the military’s declaration of a state of emergency, formally enabling Min Aung Hlaing to seize power. Though technically serving as acting president following the coup, Myint Swe was effectively sidelined as Min Aung Hlaing took full control. In July 2024, the junta announced that Myint Swe was no longer physically able to perform his duties due to illness, and Min Aung Hlaing appointed himself acting president. Myint Swe’s final years were marked by seclusion under effective house arrest in Naypyitaw, as he was reportedly pressured to cede his role to Min Aung Hlaing. Sources said he became deeply embittered, haunted by his legacy and reduced to a puppet with only symbolic influence by the junta’s machinations. In July 2025, just one year after removing Myint Swe from his post, Min Aung Hlaing officially dissolved the State Administration Council and established a new military-backed body named the National Security and Peace Commission, retaining the title of acting president for himself. Myint Swe’s life and career reflected the trajectory of many high-ranking officers in Myanmar’s military: a steady rise through loyalty to the dictatorship, involvement in crackdowns against civilians, transition to civilian political office through dubiously free elections, and a reputation stained by corruption and impunity. He is survived by his wife and children. One of his daughters reportedly holds Australian citizenship, a fact that disqualified Myint Swe from becoming full president under the 2008 Constitution. His funeral will be held with state honours, according to a junta announcement issued today—an ironic farewell for a man whose legacy for many in Myanmar carries no honour, but only the memory of servitude to tyranny and the scars of violence.

Myint Swe, former acting president who backed 2021 coup, dies at 74

Once a loyal executor of Than Shwe’s orders and a ceremonial figure under Min Aung Hlaing, Myint Swe leaves behind a legacy of repression and corruption

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