Myanmar held a
state funeral in Yangon Sunday afternoon for late Prime Minister
General Soe Win who passed away on Friday.
The state funeral, which took place at the Mingaladon War
Cemetery, was attended by Chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) Senior-General Than Shwe, SPDC
Vice-Chairman Vice Senior-General Maung Aye, SPDC Member General
Thura Shwe Mann and Acting Prime Minister and SPDC First Secretary
Lieutenant-General Thein Sein.
The funeral was also attended by foreign diplomats in
Myanmar.
Late Soe Win, 58, who was also SPDC member, died at the
Mingaladon Defense Services General Hospital in Yangon out of long
illness after he was brought back for the last time to Yangon from
Singapore where he had undergone medical treatment since March this
year.
Soe Win became prime minister on October 19, 2004.
Soe Win, born in Taunggyi, Shan state, in May 1949, had been
North-West Commander and Chairman of Sagaing Division Peace and
Development Council in 1997. He was appointed as SPDC Second
Secretary in February 2003 and promoted to SPDC First Secretary in
August the same year.
(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)
