Than Shwe is the brutal, repressive leader of the military junta that rules the Burmese people behind the guise of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). He took over leadership of the SPDC in 1993, shortly after it changed its image and name from the more-sinister sounding SLORC – the State Law and Order Restoration Committee. The previous leader, Ne Win, had been embroiled in a counter-coup in 1988 in a lengthy process which straddled the 1991 elections which provided Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy, a crushing victory with nearly 90% of the popular vote – a victory which she has never been able to exercise because of the reinforcement of military rule instead. There is no doubt that Than Shwe was involved in these events, just as there is no doubt that he has been responsible for the mistreatment of political prisoners, the enslavement of Burmese men and the mass rape of Burmese women, especially among the ethnic minority groups so desperately fighting for independence.
Than Shwe is deeply paranoid and reclusive – as so many dictators are or learn to be. He is believed to be deeply superstitious, which is a trait other generals have expressed. Ne Win, for example, believed that the number 9 was particularly fortunate for him and he banned the use of 100-rupiah notes and introduced multiples of 87 instead, much to the disgust of people obliged to make change for them. It was he who was most responsible for the relocation of the country’s capital from Yangon to Naypidaw, which was previously the location of one of the historical capitals of Burma but which had degenerated into little more than a few clearances in the jungle. The enormous cost of the building of Naypidaw is thought to have been supported in part by the receipts for the gas and oil discovered in recent years in Burmese territory, as well as support by long-term allies China. Than Shwe received belated but pointed publicity last year when video footage of his daughter Thandar’s wedding showed the bride covered in gems and the guests enjoying five star champagne and cigar lifestyle almost completely disconnected from the impoverished lives of the Burmese people as a whole. When Burma was granted independence after the Second World War, it was the richest country in Southeast Asia; now it is not only the poorest but the most corrupt. Than Shwe bears a heavy burden of responsibility for this.
