Senior General Saw Maung was the founder of the State Peace and Development Council

State Peace and Development Council

The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....

 in Myanmar. He served as their Chairman from 1988 to 1992.

Early life and career

Saw Maung joined the army in 1949, a year after Burma gained independence

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 from Britain. He became a major in 1967. From 1975–76, he fought against communist insurgents and ethnic rebels along the border with Thailand. In 1976, he became a brigadier general

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

, and in 1981 an adjutant-general. He became armed forces commander in 1983.

Saw Maung was army chief of staff

Chief of Staff

The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...

 and defence minister

Defence minister

A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...

 in the brief government of Sein Lwin

Sein Lwin

Sein Lwin , was a President of Myanmar for 17 days in 1988.He joined the Army in 1943, and in 1944 joined Ne Win’s 4th Burma Rifles. He is believed to have personally killed Karen rebel leader Saw Ba U Gyi. General Sein Lwin had a reputation as being a henchman for General Ne Win...

 and became chairman of the junta

Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....

 when the army staged its coup in 1988 after the 8888 Uprising

8888 Uprising

The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests was a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma...

. He was effective ruler of the country as head of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). He also held the posts of prime minister and foreign minister

Foreign minister

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...

. As a high-ranking member of the Burma Socialist Programme Party

Burma Socialist Programme Party

Burma Socialist Programme Party was formed by the Ne Win's military regime that seized power in 1962 and was the sole political party allowed to exist legally in Burma during the period of military rule from 1964 until its demise in the aftermath of the popular uprising of 1988.-History:The BSPP...

, he provided continuity of leadership during a succession of short-lived predecessors that followed the toppling of Ne Win

Ne Win

Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...

 earlier in 1988.

Chairman of SLORC

SLORC held free elections in 1990. The 1990 parliamentary elections were won by the National League for Democracy

National League for Democracy

The National League for Democracy is a Burmese political party founded on 27 September 1988. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi serves as its General Secretary. The party won a substantial parliamentary majority in the 1990 Burmese general election. However, the ruling military junta...

 (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...

, but SLORC did not accept the results. He retired as Chairman of SLORC in April 1992. According to the junta this was for health reasons. It has been widely reported that Saw Maung was actually suffering from a nervous breakdown and believed himself to be the reincarnation of an 11th century warrior-king. He was replaced as Chairman by General Than Shwe

Than Shwe

Senior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...

. Saw Maung died of a heart attack at 68 on 24 July 1997.