On April 23, 1992 Senior General Saw Maung was removed as chairman of Myanmar's ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, and replaced by General Than Shwe, in a palace coup that the junta publicly presented as a health-related retirement. Saw Maung had led the SLORC since the 1988 military takeover and had allowed the 1990 elections, which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won overwhelmingly, a result the military never honored. Rival generals, led by Than Shwe and Maung Aye, orchestrated Saw Maung's removal, reportedly sidelining and isolating him amid reports of deteriorating mental health, and announced on April 23, 1992 that he was retiring for health reasons.
Than Shwe took over as SLORC chairman, prime minister, and commander-in-chief, and would rule Myanmar for nearly two decades. Saw Maung was not physically harmed and lived in quiet retirement.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Senior General Saw Maung, removed as SLORC chairman on April 23, 1992 and replaced by Than Shwe; he was not physically harmed and lived in retirement.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Saw Maung (junta chairman removed)
Than Shwe (general who took over)
Sources
Saw Maung served as Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council and Prime Minister of Burma from 1988 until 1992 when he was deposed by rival generals, resigning as chairman of SLORC in April 1992, which according to the military junta was for health reasons but was in fact the result of his being sedated, isolated, and quietly removed from power in a palace coup, orchestrated by Than Shwe and Maung Aye.
On 23 April 1992 Senior General Saw Maung unexpectedly resigned citing health reasons, and Than Shwe elevated himself to the rank of senior general and replaced Saw Maung as the head of the State Law and Order Restoration Council and commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces.
On this day in 1992 the ruling junta announced that Senior General Saw Maung was retiring as chairman for health reasons, ushering in an era dominated by Senior General Than Shwe, and the announcement of the forced resignation was signed by his deputy General Than Shwe, with all command and divisional commanders summoned to the Yangon War Office on the morning of April 23 to be briefed by Than Shwe about his temporary promotion to chairman.
SOURCE REVIEWEDThe Irrawaddy, The Day Ex-Dictator Than Shwe's Reign Beganopen source ↗
Than Shwe replaced Saw Maung as chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council in 1992, effectively becoming head of state and government, and he ruled the ruling military junta in Myanmar from 1992 to 2011.
Coding note: the dataset labels this a palace coup with a not-physically-harmed fate, which fits precisely; this was an internal removal of the junta's chairman by rival generals, publicly dressed up as a health-related retirement. Fate coding: Saw Maung was not physically harmed; he was sidelined and lived in quiet retirement until his death from a heart attack in 1997, matching the dataset. Arc link: this continues the Myanmar thread this enrichment has tracked, following the September 1988 SLORC takeover that Saw Maung himself led (enriched in batch 39); here the leadership of that same junta passes to Than Shwe. Context recorded and handled neutrally: sources describe Saw Maung as isolated and removed amid reports of deteriorating mental health, and note that he had allowed the 1990 elections won by Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD, a result the junta never honored, with his removal preserving the hardline military profile; these are recorded as documented accounts. Historical weight recorded: Than Shwe went on to rule Myanmar for nearly 20 years, later context. Neutrality maintained on a contested subject.
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Senior General Saw Maung, removed as SLORC chairman on April 23, 1992 and replaced by Than Shwe; he was not physically harmed and lived in retirement..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Burmese Military Ousts Chief, Citing Illness,” April 24, 1992
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →