Lieutenant-General Chit Swe BC-6463 (Burmese: ချစ်ဆွေ; born 18 January 1932) is a retired Myanmar politician, who served as Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, minister for Co-Operatives and minister for Livestock and Fisheries in Myanmar during a ministerial career spanning from 1988 to 1997.
Biography
editChit Swe was born in Matkayay Street, Tin Baw ward, Mawlamyaing in Burma. He is the fourth son of U Hla Baw from A Pon Chan, Mon State and Daw Khin Tint from Chaung Son, Mon State. His parents are Mon natives, so he too is a Mon. He is Buddhist. His real name is Chit Swe but he was called "Pwa Pwa" because he was white, strong and fat in childhood. When he was five years old he started attending Mawlamyaing Buddhist High School. His father worked in the post office of Mawlamyaing.[citation needed]
When his father was promoted to Inspector of Post Offices, the whole family moved to Bago, where he attended Mcgrath Private School, in the east of Charch, where he learnt English. His mother, Daw Khin Tint, died in 1940 aged 38 due to tuberculosis.[citation needed]
He had no money so he worked while he attended university. In 1952, he had no money to pay for his fees there, and, due to his family issues, he left his sister and brother with his relatives who lived in Kyauk Myaung, Yangon. The army called for officers so he joined up, and attended the 8th intake of Officers Training School, Bahtoo in March 1952.
Career
editIn 1981, he was head of North Eastern Command in Myanmar Army. In 1983, he was head of South Eastern Command and he was promoted to Brigadier General.[citation needed]
Bureau of Special Operations
editIn 1985, he was head of Bureau of Special Operations 2 in Myanmar Army. On November 19, 1986, he was promoted to Major General. When he was head of BSO 2 he moved to Yangon from Mawlamyaing. In Yangon he lived in U Wi Sar Ya Road in front of Na Wa Rat Avenue. His major operations were Kayin State, Mon State, and Tanintharyi Division. In BSO he was also in charge of Than Taung in Kayin State. His major function was to negotiate between the requirements of Regional Military Commands and Light Infantry Divisions in operations and ßKa Ka Kyi: à. Headquarter.[clarification needed]
Korean plane crash search
editHe was ordered by headquarters to search for the commercial Boeing 737 aircraft from Korea which crashed while flying from Bahrain to Bangkok in Myanmar. First he searched Dawei, Heain dar, Taung thone Lone, Myittar, Sin Phyu Dine because this is the route to Bangkok Airport, 100 miles distant from Dawei. The plane was not found so they searched again extensively in the Myanmar Sea. The plane was not found in the sea either.
Minister
editOn September 20, 1988, he was minister of three ministries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Co-operatives and Ministry of Livestock and Fishery. On March 18, 1990, he was promoted to Lieutenant General. Later, he was Minister of Forestry until his retirement.[1][2][3]
Retirement
editHe retired on July 23, 1997. Later he wrote the book Tay Ta Nae Mwe Ta Nae with the pen name "Naung Sit Te", which means "old soldier". He finished writing his book on September 18, 2006.
Works
edit- Tay Ta Nae Mwe Ta Nae by Naung Sit Te
References
edit- ^ Brunner, Jake; Talbot, Kirk; Elkin, Chantal (1998). Logging Burma's Frontier Forests: Resources and the Regime (PDF). World Resources Institute. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Rabinowitz, A. (2010). Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed. Island Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-59726-824-0. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ Bryant, R.L. (1997). The Political Ecology of Forestry in Burma, 1824-1994. Hurst. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-85065-283-0. Retrieved 2024-06-04.