Dr. Maung Maung (1925-1992) - Gentleman, Scholar and Patriot - the 7th President of Myanmar Artwork

Myanmar Oral History Project - life stories

Oral histories of Myanmar - life stories; some starting as far back as the late 1920’s.From my years of involvement in Myanmar I have become aware of the increasing scarcity of the generation of Myanma citizens who were born during the colonial period and have lived through the tumultuous years since that time. For me, these men and women are "national treasures" whose experience, perseverance and wisdom gained during their long lives will be lost unless we capture their stories in some way. To this end I have decided to interview a number of these elderly citizens. My hope is that these interviews will be of interest to historians, sociologists and other researchers in the future as well as for the family and friends of those interviewed.

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Myanmar Oral History Project - life stories

Dr. Maung Maung (1925-1992) - Gentleman, Scholar and Patriot - the 7th President of Myanmar

October 29, 2023 • Season 1 • Episode 72

Dr. Maung Maung was not only a giant in terms of his legal scholarship - being awarded two doctorates from prestigious international universities - but was also a thorough gentleman and patriot in the important years of Burma's pre and post independence. He was heavily criticized by some for being too close to General Ne Win, but others saw him as a loyal servant of the State and who tried to be a positive influence on General Ne Win. Towards the end of his life he spent time at Singapore's Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) providing an oral history of his life and views. I am indebted to the leading Asian scholar, Professor Robert Taylor for giving me permission to read some extracts from his biography of him - Dr. Maung Maung : Gentleman, Scholar and Patriot published in 2008 by ISEAS and which can be purchased from ISEAS in an ebook or printed format - https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/909.

Dr. Maung Maung has the distinction of, not just being appointed the 7th President of Myanmar, but also the President with the shortest term. He was appointed on 18 August, 1988 but was removed one month later by a military coup on 19 September, 1988. Myanmar was then without a President until 2011 when U Thein Sein was appointed.

Please note an error I made in referring to U Thant as the first Secretary General of the UN; he was in fact the fourth holding the role from 1961 to 1971.

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Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at church.peter@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church