Saw Maung (12 May 1928-24 July 1997) was Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar from 18 September 1988 to 23 April 1992 (preceding Than Shwe) and Prime Minister of Myanmar from 21 September 1988 to 23 April 1992 (succeeding Tun Tin and preceding Than Shwe).
Biography[]
Saw Maung was born in Mandalay, Burma, British India in 1928, and he joined the military in 1946 and became an officer in 1952. He fought against communist rebels on the border with Thailand from 1975 to 1976, and he became a Brigadier-General in 1976 and armed forces commander in 1983. He became chairman of the State Peace and Development Council in 1988 after the military coup following the 8888 Uprising, serving as the de facto leader of the country. He intended to hold a democratic election to form a new government and send the military back to the barracks, where he said they belonged. These elections were held in 1992, and the National League for Democracy won; however, fellow junta member Than Shwe claimed that Saw Maung was going insane and used an alleged nervous breakdown as an excuse to force Saw Maung to resign in 1992, preventing democratic rule from being implemented. Saw Maung died in 1997.