The death of Myanmar’s acting president has left the country’s brutal four-year civil war and military rule entirely unaffected, as U Myint Swe passed away Thursday at 74 after serving as little more than a ceremonial figurehead for the generals who seized power in 2021.
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U Myint Swe died in a Naypyidaw hospital from what the military government described as “neurodegenerative diseases and related neurological disorders,” ending a long neurological illness that had already sidelined him from active duties for over a year.
The acting president’s death brings no practical change to Myanmar’s power structure, where Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has been performing presidential duties since July 2024 while maintaining his grip as the country’s actual ruler. Myint Swe had functioned purely as a rubber stamp for military policies, appearing publicly only every six months to endorse extensions of the state of emergency that legitimised continued military rule.
“His death brings no real change for the country,” said human rights lawyer U Kyee Myint. “He was merely a puppet president.”
Myanmar remains deeply divided by civil conflict, with approximately half the country now controlled by pro-democracy protesters and armed ethnic groups fighting the military, while the other half remains under military control. The ongoing war began when citizens rose up against the military coup that overthrew the civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myint Swe’s political career was marked by decades of loyalty to military leadership and involvement in violent crackdowns on civilian populations. During the 2007 Saffron Revolution, when Buddhist monks led popular protests, he commanded brutal suppression operations, arresting monks and civilians while publicly defending the killings as part of his official duty.
His service under various military governments included roles as chief minister of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, during the quasi-civilian period from 2011 to 2016, and leadership of the regional military command under the previous junta that stepped down in 2011.
The military government announced plans for a state funeral, though public sentiment toward Myint Swe remains overwhelmingly negative. Many citizens view his death as the end of a career spent enabling military oppression without facing accountability for his actions.
“In reality, we can say he died without ever facing any punishment for what he did,” said Ko Tun Lin, a Yangon resident. “At the very least, I would have wanted him to receive the punishment he deserved before he died.”
Myanmar’s military continues to face significant territorial losses to resistance forces while maintaining control over major cities and strategic infrastructure. Millions have been displaced in the ongoing conflict, and international sanctions continue to target the military leadership.
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