Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy was founded by former Myanmar commander Tin Oo, who became a fighter for democracy. According to her assistant and the local media, Tin Oo passed away on Saturday at the age of 97.
Under former strongman Ne Win, Tin Oo advanced to the position of army commander before being removed for allegedly hiding information about an unsuccessful coup attempt.
Following large-scale demonstrations against a previous dictatorship in 1988, he co-founded the pro-democracy NLD and later became one of Suu Kyi’s closest confidantes.
He passed away early on Saturday morning at a hospital in Yangon, where he was receiving medical attention for health problems, a member of his personal security detail told AFP, requesting anonymity.
His son was also reported by the local media to have passed away early on Saturday, however the cause of death was not stated.
During the military crackdown that followed the 1988 protests, Tin Oo was held captive for over ten years.
In 2003, he and Suu Kyi were jailed once more following a pro-junta mob attack on their motorcade that resulted in the deaths of numerous people.
The NLD mainstay suffered a stroke in 2017 and has been less active in politics lately because of advancing age and ill health.
Following its coup in 2021, the junta brutally suppressed dissent, targeting the NLD. One former lawmaker was executed in Myanmar, marking the country’s first use of the death penalty in decades.
The party was dissolved by the junta in 2023 for not re-registering in accordance with a strict new electoral legislation drafted by the military, and it was removed from surveys that suggested it would hold in 2025.
