Brigadier General Aung Shwe (Burmese အောင်ရွှေ; 19 May 1918 – 13 August 2017) was a prominent Burmese military officer, diplomat and later a senior figure in Myanmar's pro‑democracy movement. He combined a long public career in the armed forces and foreign service with leadership in civilian politics, most visibly as one of the founders and an acting chairman of the National League for Democracy.

Military and diplomatic career

Aung Shwe rose through the ranks of the Burma Rifles during an era shaped by General Ne Win and the post‑independence reorganizations of the Burmese armed forces, ultimately attaining the rank of brigadier general. After his military service he entered the diplomatic corps, representing Burma abroad for more than a decade. From 1961 until 1975 he served as ambassador to a series of countries, a role in which he handled bilateral relations during a turbulent period of Burmese foreign policy.

Ambassadorial postings

  • Australia
  • Egypt
  • France
  • Spain
  • New Zealand

These postings reflected both the government’s need to maintain global contacts and Aung Shwe’s transition from military to civilian public service. A contemporary account lists these assignments among his principal diplomatic responsibilities. Details of his foreign service appear in diplomatic records and retrospectives on Burma’s mid‑20th century international relations.

Role in the National League for Democracy

Following the political upheavals of the 1988 popular movement, Aung Shwe became a founding member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. His military background and diplomatic experience made him a respected elder within the party. In the early 2000s, when principal leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo were subject to long periods of house arrest, Aung Shwe assumed party leadership duties to preserve organizational continuity and to represent the NLD’s interests domestically and internationally.

Death and legacy

Aung Shwe died on 13 August 2017 at Victoria Hospital in Yangon, Myanmar, at the age of 99. He is remembered as a transitional figure who bridged military, diplomatic and democratic spheres in modern Burmese history. Histories of the NLD and accounts of Myanmar’s political evolution often cite his role as an elder statesman who helped keep the party functioning during some of its most difficult years.