San Yu | |
|---|---|
စန်းယု | |
 San Yuc. 1950s | |
| 5th President of Burma | |
| In office 9 November 1981 – 27 July 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Maung Maung Kha |
| Vice President | Aye Ko (1985–1988)[1] |
| Preceded by | Ne Win |
| Succeeded by | Sein Lwin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1918-03-03)3 March 1918 Thegon,Pegu,British Raj India |
| Died | 28 January 1996(1996-01-28) (aged 77) Yangon,Myanmar |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Political party | BSPP |
| Spouse | Than Shein |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Rangoon University Medical College |
| Occupation | President |
| Awards | Independence Mawgunwin (First Class) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Burma |
| Branch/service |  Burmese Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1980 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | CO, Northern RMC (1959) CO, 1st Infantry Brigade (1961) CO, Eastern RMC (1961) CO, North West RMC (1961) Vice Chief of Staff (Army) (1963) Commander in Chief (1972) |
San Yu (Burmese:စန်းယု,pronounced[sáɰ̃jṵ]; 3 March 1918 – 28 January 1996) was a Burmese armygeneral and statesman who served as the fifthpresident of Myanmar from 9 November 1981 to 27 July 1988.[2]
San Yu, an ethnic Burmese, was born in Thegon during theBritish Raj. He was born to a U Shane Wat and Daw Thein Shein.[3][4] He studied medicine atRangoon University'sMedical College for two years.
San Yu joinedBurma Independence Army in 1942 from his hometown Prome (nowPyay) and became asecond lieutenant of 3rd Burma Rifle Battalion on 14 January 1946. Throughout his army career, San Yu rose through the rank quickly due to his steadfast loyalty towards his superiors. On 23 January 1947, San Yu was promoted tocaptain and became deputy company commander in the same battalion and on 24 February 1949, three years after joining the army, he was promoted to the rank of Major and became Deputy Battalion Commander of 3rd Burma Rifle.[5]
He was madelieutenant colonel on 25 November 1949 and given the command of 1st Karenni Rifle Battalion. He was then transferred to 1st Kachin Rifle Battalion on 22 December 1950. Throughout 1950 and 1951, he served underBrigadier GeneralNe Win's Northern Regional Military Command in various capacities. He was then transferred to Military Appointment General's office within the Ministry of Defense on 17 September 1952.
On 9 March 1956, he was promoted to the rank ofcolonel and became the Commander of Northern Regional Military Command on 25 February 1959. He was promoted tobrigadier general on 9 April 1959. He then became commander of 1st Infantry Brigade on 16 August 1961, commander of Eastern Regional Military Command on 16 October 1961 and commander of North West Regional Military Command on 29 November 1961.
After the 1962military coup,Brigadier General San Yu became Deputy Chief of Staff of theArmy on 15 February 1963. He was promoted to the rank of general and becameCommander in Chief of theTatmadaw (Armed Forces) on 20 April 1972.
Brigadier General San Yu was a founding member of the GeneralNe Win's 17 membersUnion Revolutionary Council (RC) that came to power after themilitary coup overthrowing the civilian government of Prime MinisterU Nu on 2 March 1962. He wasMinister of Finance from 1963 to 1972.[6][7] He was appointed as Chairman of the 'New State Constitution Drafting Commission' (NSCDC) which was formed by the Revolutionary Council on 25 September 1971.[8] During the years 1971 to 1973, He travelled extensively throughout Burma as Chairman of NSCDC during the 'drafting process' ofConstitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, better known as 1974 Burmese Constitution.
On 20 April 1972, theRevolutionary Council made an announcement thatBrigadier General San Yu was promoted to General.[9] General San Yu became general secretary of the Council of State for theBurma Socialist Programme Party, better known as BSPP, on 26 April 1974 was transferred to Office of the State Council. He retired from the Army on 3 March 1978. In the closing day of the Fourth Congress of the BSPP,Ne Win also announced his intention to retire from the position of 'President of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma' after the 'elections' in October 1981.
On 9 November 1981 the then Burmese Legislature (Pyithu Hluttaw) elected San Yu as the President of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. He served in that position until 27 July 1988 and in the post-independence period he became, after Ne Win (who was president from 4 March 1974 to 9 November 1981) the second-longest serving president in post-independent Burma. Ne Win remained chairman of the BSPP, and it was generally understood that he still held the real power.
In the fifth BSPP Congress that was held in August 1985 San Yu was formally elected asvice chairman of BSPP. From then on till his retirement from both the Party (BSPP) and State positions San Yu was termed in the media as Vice Chairman of Burma Socialist Programme Party, President and Chairman of the Council of State, under the provision of the 1974 Constitution the Chairman of the Council of State is also the President of the Republic.
On 23 July 1988, in the opening day of the BSPP Congress, an announcement made byNe Win that San Yu along with four other Party and State leaders had expressed the wish to retire from both Party and State positions. Though the BSPP Congress rejected the resignations or requests for permission to retire of UAye Ko, general secretary andVice President of the State, USein Lwin, Joint General Secretary of BSPP and secretary of the Council of State, UTun Tin, BSPP Central Executive Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister, UKyaw Htin, BSPP Central Executive Committee Member and Defence Minister, the congress accepted the resignations ofNe Win and San Yu from party and state positions.
After his retirement, throughout the turmoil that ensued the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations and military coup, San Yu stayed out of the political societies and lived with his family in his suburbanYangon home. He followed the path set by Buddhism and died peacefully on 28 January 1996.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander in Chief 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of Burma 1981–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Union of Burma (1948–1962) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1962–1988) | ||
| Union of Burma / Myanmar (1988–2011) | ||
| Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2011–present) | ||
| ||
