Bo Let Ya (Burmese: ဗိုလ်လက်ျာ; pronounced [bò lɛʔ jà]; born Hla Pe Burmese: လှဘေ; pronounced [hla̰ pɛ̀]; 30 August 1911 – 29 November 1978) was a Burmese army general and a member of the legendary Thirty Comrades who fought for Burma's independence from Britain. He also served as the 2nd Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Union of Burma and Deputy Prime Minister of Burma.
Bo Let Ya | |
|---|---|
| ဗိုလ်လက်ျာ | |
.jpg) | |
| Minister of Defence of Burma[1] | |
| In office 1 August 1952 – 13 September 1961 | |
| Prime Minister | Aung San |
| Preceded by | Aung San |
| Succeeded by | Bo Hmu Aung |
| Commander in Chief of the Burma Defence Army | |
| In office 1947–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Aung San |
| Succeeded by | Smith Dun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hla Pe 30 August 1911 Pyinmana, British Burma (present-day Myanmar) |
| Died | 29 November 1978 (aged 67) Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand |
| Political party | Dobama Asiayone AFPFL Communist Party of Burma Parliamentary Democracy Party |
| Occupation | Army officer, Statesman |
| Awards | Independence Mawgunwin (First Class) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Myanmar |
| Branch/service | Tatmadaw |
| Years of service | 1952–1961 |
| Rank |  General |
Early life
editHe attended Myoma High School in Rangoon.[2]
Career
editDuring the Second World War he was Chief of Staff of the Burma Defence Army (1942-1943) and as Deputy Minister of War in the Japanese puppet-state, the State of Burma (1943-1945). After the war, he replaced General Aung San as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister when the latter was assassinated on 19 July 1947. He was later made to resign from the post by AFPFL Government. He was involved in the 1947 Let Ya-Freeman Agreement.[2] He also founded the Patriotic Burmese Army in 1969, an exile rebel army based in Thailand. During the 1950s and 1960s, following his resignation from his political and military posts, he founded Martaban Fisheries and became a millionaire businessman.[3]
Throughout his career, he served the following posts:[3]
- Deputy Minister of War Affairs (1943–1945)
- Defence Councillor (July 1947 – 1948)
- Deputy Prime Minister (January 1948 – 1952)
- Minister of Defence
Following the 1962 coup d'état, Bo Let Ya was imprisoned by the Union Revolutionary Council from 1963 to 1965.
Death
editOn 29 November 1978, he was killed by Karen troops during a battle following a split in the Karen National Union's leadership.[3]
References
edit- ^ "ကာကွယ်ရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန". Myanmar National Portal. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019.
- ^ a b Seekins, Donald M. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar). Scarecrow Press. pp. 267–268. ISBN 9780810854765.
- ^ a b c Zöllner, Hans-Bernd (2008). "Material on Two Political Dictionaries" (PDF). Working Paper No. 10:13. Universität Passau. ISSN 1435-5310. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2011.