1. Shwe Mann is a former army general and, whilst being a protege of senior general Than Shwe, was considered the third most powerful man in the State Peace and Development Council, which ruled Myanmar until 2011.
45 Facts About Shwe Mann
1. 2.
Shwe Mann was elected to parliament in the 2010 general election.
3.
Shwe Mann was later selected as Speaker of the Lower House at the first regular session of the Pyithu Hluttaw in 2011.
4.
Shwe Mann was crucial in the newly found activism of the Lower House vis-a-vis the Upper House and the executive.
5.
Shwe Mann later founded the Union Betterment Party, which existed from 2019 to 2022.
6.
Shwe Mann graduated from the Defence Services Academy, Intake 11, Pyin Oo Lwin in 1969.
7.
Shwe Mann quickly rose through the ranks, and became major in 1986.
8.
Shwe Mann served as a Regiment Commander in Karen State and earned the honorific title Thura for his military campaign against the Karen National Liberation Army in 1988.
9.
Shwe Mann served as a tactical operations commander for Light Infantry Division 66 based in Prome from 1993 to 1995.
10.
Shwe Mann was commander of the elite LID 11 based in Inn Daing, near Yangon in 1996.
11.
Shwe Mann concurrently served as the chairman of the Ayeyarwady Peace and Development Council.
12.
Shwe Mann was promoted to Joint Chief of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force in 2001.
13.
Shwe Mann became Chief of General Staff of the Armed Services in 2003.
14.
Shwe Mann was selected as a representative for Zay Yar Thiri constituency in the 2010 general election.
15.
Shwe Mann has had a close relationship to former dictator General Than Shwe.
16.
Shwe Mann played a key role in the ousting of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in 2004.
17.
Shwe Mann was seen as the most likely successor to General Maung Aye, who was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
18.
Shwe Mann was an alleged rival to first vice-president Tin Aung Myint Oo.
19.
Shwe Mann was allegedly involved in repression of Saffron Revolution.
20.
Shwe Mann was elected Speaker of the Lower House at the first regular session of the House of Representatives in 2011.
21.
Shwe Mann lost his seat to Than Nyunt, NLD's candidate, but remained as a prominent figure and closed ally to Aung San Suu Kyi.
22.
Shwe Mann was appointed in February 2015 as head of the Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues.
23.
Shwe Mann has been seen as a staunch critic of corrupt practices amongst public officials.
24.
Shwe Mann had reportedly ordered action against corrupt authorities as far back as 2005.
25.
Shwe Mann criticised the government's lack of transparency and accountability over public funds.
26.
Shwe Mann has firmly supported liberal reforms and the turn towards a market economy in Myanmar.
27.
Shwe Mann has been praised for reaching out to political activist groups, including the 88 Generation Students Group.
28.
Shwe Mann has often remarked on the importance of upholding the 2008 Constitution.
29.
Shwe Mann has referred to the Rohingya crisis as a sensitive issue that requires immediate attention.
30.
Shwe Mann has claimed he would rather see an evolution of the federal system rather than its revolution.
31.
Shwe Mann has spoken about the need to strengthen the current education system in Myanmar.
32.
Shwe Mann has argued in favour of increased US investment and technical support in Myanmar.
33.
Shwe Mann visited China before his 2015 official visit to the US He has stressed that Myanmar and China are good neighbours and entertain friendly diplomatic relations.
34.
Whilst still in the military, Shwe Mann travelled to India and North Korea to sign military cooperation agreements with the two countries.
35.
In November 2008, Shwe Mann travelled to North Korea and signed a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation.
36.
Shwe Mann, a Burmese Buddhist, was born on 11 July 1947 in Kanyuntkwin, Bago Division, to father Pho Phay, and mother Htay Yi.
37.
Shwe Mann is married to Khin Lay Thet, a former high school teacher.
38.
Shwe Mann was placed in the US and EU sanction lists.
39.
Shwe Mann was removed from the US sanction list in September 2012 because, in the words of Under Secretary David S Cohen, he has "taken concrete steps to promote political reforms and human rights, and to move Burma away from repression and dictatorship toward democracy and freedom".
40.
Shwe Mann is part of Burmese tycoon Tay Za's Htoo Group of Companies.
41.
When Shwe Mann was Regional Commander in the Ayeyarwady Division, Ayer Shwe Wah received lucrative government contracts to supply fertilizers to farmers throughout the delta.
42.
Shwe Mann received 30,000 acres of land for development under the government's Lowland Development Program.
43.
Ayer Shwe Mann Wah has been involved in construction projects in Naypyidaw.
44.
Toe Naing Shwe Mann is the founder of Red Link Communications, a major Burmese telecommunications group.
45.
In 2004, Toe Naing Mann married Zay Zin Latt, daughter of Khin Shwe, who is the president of Zaygabar Co.