16 Facts About Sein Lwin

Sein Lwin was served as the sixth president of Burma for 17 days in 1988, following the resignation of San Yu.

Sein Lwin was dubbed the "Butcher of Rangoon" for his brutal suppression of successive student-led demonstrations in the capital.

Sein Lwin was seen as the brutal cohort of Ne Win and the man responsible for the ruthless suppression of dissent, notably antigovernment protests in 1962 in which scores of university students were slaughtered.

Sein Lwin was born on 27 January 1924 in Kawkayin village, Paung, Mon State then under the British Raj to parent Shwe Yin and his wife Ma Ma Gyi.

Sein Lwin has a son by the name Min Lwin Oo who was a mariners in the late 1980s.

Sein Lwin joined the Army in 1943, and in 1944 joined Ne Win's 4th Burma Rifles.

Sein Lwin is believed to have personally killed Karen rebel leader Saw Ba U Gyi.

Sein Lwin had a reputation as being a henchman for General Ne Win.

Sein Lwin was one of those responsible for the Rangoon University Student Union massacre on 7 July 1962 when 130 university students protesting against General Ne Win's coup d'etat were killed and the Student Union building dynamited the next day.

Aung Gyi and Tin Pe were the senior officers, and Sein Lwin was the field commanding officer in the University region.

In 1978, Sein Lwin became chief of staff of the Burmese armed forces with the rank of general.

Sein Lwin, succeeded Ne Win as Burma Socialist Programme Party Chairman on 26 July and San Yu as President on 27 July 1988.

Sein Lwin, implementing the threat in Ne Win's "when the army shoots, it shoots to hit" resignation speech, directed troops to fire on groups of unarmed demonstrators in Yangon during the 8 August 1988 demonstrations, killing and wounding hundreds.

Sein Lwin launched his career as leader of Burma with accusations that the country's problems were the fault of individuals, and not the ruling party.

Sein Lwin died on 9 April 2004 at Yangon General Hospital at the age of 80 after his return from Singapore where had sought treatment for a stomach ailment.

Sein Lwin's death was reported in a state-run newspaper, Myanma Ahlin, which did not give a cause of death.