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Aung Gyi | |
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| အောင်ကြီး | |
| President of theNational League for Democracy | |
| In office 27 September 1988 – 3 December 1988 | |
| Leader | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Tin Oo |
| Member of theRevolutionary Council of Burma | |
| In office 2 March 1962 – 8 February 1963 Serving with Ba Nyein andTin Pe | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 February 1919 |
| Died | 25 October 2012(2012-10-25) (aged 93) |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Spouse | Mu Mu Thein |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Politician (1963–2012); Deputy Commander-in-Chief (until 1963) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Union of Burma |
| Branch/service | Burmese Army |
| Years of service | 1948–1963 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | 4thBurma Rifles |
| Commands | Western Regional Military Command |
| Battles/wars | Rohingya conflict |
Brigadier General Aung Gyi (Burmese:အောင်ကြီး[ʔàʊɰ̃dʑí]; 16 February 1919 – 25 October 2012) was a Burmese military officer and politician. He was a cofounder of theNational League for Democracy and served as president of the party.
He was born to a Burmese family in Paungde, British Burma in 1919.[1]
Aung Gyi was a member of GeneralNe Win's 4thBurma Rifles rising tobrigadier general.
He played a role in thecaretaker government of 1958-1960 led by Ne Win. Aung Gyi was number two in theUnion Revolutionary Council set up after the1962 coup, serving as vice-chief of staff and minister of trade and industry until he was forced to resign on 8 February 1963 because of disagreements over economic policy with Ba Nyein andTin Pe.[2] He was once known as Ne Win'sheir apparent. In his memoirs,Saturday's Son, published in 1974,U Nu, thenprime minister of Myanmar, claimed that his handover of power to the caretaker government was not voluntary but that a group of army officers led by Brigadier Aung Gyi and Brigadier Maung Maung threatened him with a "straight military coup" should he refuse to hand over power to Ne Win. The suggestion that this coup was mainly led by Brigadier Aung Gyi and Maung Maung was supported by Col Hla Maw, former commanding officer of 11th Brigade.
Aung Gyi's role in suppressing the anti-governmentstudent protests in 1962 is not clear. In his resignation speech of 23 July 1988,Ne Win blamed Aung Gyi as "the real culprit" in the destruction of theRangoon University Student Union Building on 8 July 1962. Aung Gyi was ousted in 1963, when he criticized the council'seconomic policies, and for statements made in Japan about the cause of the 1962 coup. He was imprisoned from 1965 to 1968 and again from 1973 to 1974. However, Aung Gyi remained loyal to theTatmadaw, the armed forces, and his connection with Ne Win remained intact despite his later blunt criticism of the government.
Prior to the8888 Uprising, Aung Gyi had written several long open letters, widely distributed throughout the country, toNe Win criticising the government, and they became an important factor for the opposition movement. On 7 March 1988, Aung Gyi wrote his first letter to Ne Win, suggesting economic reforms and a new cabinet. He strongly criticised the government'sBurmese Way to Socialism and warned of possible social unrest. On 9 May 1988 he wrote a second 40-page open letter, reiterating the need for economic reforms.
In 1988, he emerged as prominent opposition leader and was imprisoned between 29 July and 25 August 1988. However, he remained a supporter of Ne Win and the army. Just before the army staged its coup on 18 September 1988, he told a crowd that he guaranteed that the army would not stage a coup and the interim government will be formed very soon: "I will kill myself, [if the army staged a coup]". After the coup, Aung Gyi told people who came to listen his speech that they "must not think bad (or 'sin' against) the army even in your minds".
TheNational League for Democracy was formed on 27 September 1988, with Aung Gyi as president, former General ThuraTin Oo as vice president andAung San Suu Kyi as general secretary. He resigned on 3 December 1988 from the National League for Democracy (NLD), allegingcommunist infiltration, to form theUnion National Democracy Party (UNDP) on 16 December 1988. Only one candidate from the UNDP was elected in theMay 1990 Myanmar general elections. At those elections, there were 485 constituencies. The NLD fielded 447 candidates, and 392 were elected.
In 1993 Aung Gyi was sentenced to six months imprisonment for not paying a bill for eggs.
In 1998 he visited the United States and recorded an extensive interview withRadio Free Asia. When asked about the army, he said: "People despise the Tatmadaw. This is a bad sign. The people of Burma have lost faith in the Tatmadaw." While he acknowledged the corruption andnepotism of the top junta leaders, he considered that democracy leaderAung San Suu Kyi was surrounded by communists, the same accusations made by the junta. He blamed theNLD for boycotting the National Convention established to draft a new constitution. He said, "I want U Ne Win to contribute something before he dies, because he knows what is right and wrong". He stated that Ne Win was still influential and had ordered theState Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to change the name of the government and reshape the cabinet in 1997.[citation needed]
Aung Gyi was among the few who attended the funeral of Ne Win in 2002 who spoke fondly of Ne Win's achievements in helping bring independence to Myanmar in 1948, but he also stated that "Ne Win betrayed Burma and Ne Win betrayed the country. He committed rape of democracy in Burma by staging a coup. He died an inglorious death. It was a sad and tragic ending".
On 25 October 2012, Aung Gyi died at his home inMayangone Township,Yangon,Myanmar, because ofheart failure.[3] He is survived by his wife Mu Mu Thein, four children and five grandchildren.[3]
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