State Peace and Development Council

   (SPDC)

   Established on November 15, 1997, the State Peace and Development Council is the successor of the original post-1988 martial law regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In Burmese, its name is Naing-ngandaw Aye Chan Tar Yar Yae Hint Phont Phyo Yae. The name change, emphasizing "peace" rather than "order," was probably motivated by the junta's desire to improve its image, but substantial changes in personnel also occurred. The four top SLORC leaders, Chairman and Senior General Than Shwe, Vice Chairman General Maung Aye, Secretary-1 Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, and Secretary-2 Lieutenant General Tin Oo, retained their positions, but a Secretary-3, Lieutenant General Win Myint, was added, along with newly appointed commanders for the navy and air force and for six of Burma's 12 regional military commands. Altogether, the SPDC at its inception had 19 members.

   The personnel changes infused new blood into the junta and purged SLORC and cabinet members (the cabinet was also reshuffled) who were considered excessively corrupt. Fourteen retired generals were appointed to a powerless "Advisory Board," but this was dissolved in June 1998.

   In February 2001, Secretary-2 Tin Oo was killed in a helicopter crash; in November, Secretary-3 Win Myint was dismissed on corruption charges. By early 2003, the junta had been reshaped into a 13-member body that included a new Secretary-2, Air Force Lieutenant General Soe Win, who on orders of Than Shwe replaced Khin Nyunt as Secretary-1 in August of that year. Khin Nyunt was appointed prime minister (one of Than Shwe's posts), widely considered a demotion. In October 2004, Khin Nyunt was charged with corruption, arrested, and dismissed from his posts as prime minister and director of Military Intelligence.

   See also State Peace and Development Council, Internal Dynamics.

   NAME AND RANK POSITION

   1. Senior General THAN SHWE Chairman of SPDC; SHWE Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (Tatmadaw)

   2. Deputy Senior General Vice-Chairman of SPDC; MAUNG AYE Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (Tatmadaw); Commander-inChief (Army)

   3. General THURA SHWE Member of SPDC; Joint Chief Mann of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force

   4. Lieutenant General SPDC Secretary 1; Air Defence SOE WIN General

   5. Lieutenant-General THEIN SPDC Secretary 2; Adjutant SEIN General

   6. Lieutenant-General THIHA SPDC Member; Quartermaster THURA TIN AUNG General MYINT OO

   7. Lieutenant-General KYAW SPDC Member; Chief of Armed WIN Forces Training

   8. Lieutenant-General SPDC Member; Chief of TIN AYE Military Ordnance

   9. Lieutenant-General SPDC Member; Chief of YE MYINT Bureau of Special Operations-1 (covering Kachin, Chin States, Mandalay, Magwe, and Sagaing Divisions)

   10. Lietenant-General SPDC Member; Chief of AUNG HTWE Bureau of Special Operations-2 (Kayah, Shan States)

   11. Lieutenant-General KHIN SPDC Member; Chief of MAUNG THAN Bureau of Special Operations-3 (Pegu, Rangoon, Irrawaddy Divisions, Arakan State)

   12. Lieutenant-General SPDC Member; Chief of MAUNG BO Bureau of Special Operations-4 (Karen, Mon States, Tenasserim Division)