   general soe win (; ; 10 may 1947 â 12 october 2007) was the prime minister of burma and secretary-1 of the state peace and development council from 2004 to 2007. he was known by burmese dissident groups as "the butcher of depayin" for his role as mastermind of the 2003 depayin massacre, in which 70 national league for democracy supporters were killed by a government-sponsored mob."premeditated depayin massacre", retrieved 20 may 2007. ==biography== ===early career=== soe win was born in 1948. a graduate of the defense services academy (12th intake), he took part in the crackdown on democracy protesters in 1988, deploying troops around rangoon university and ordering them to shoot at rangoon general hospital during the upheaval. he became tactical operations commander 3 of the northwestern regional command in 1990. in 1997 he was named regional commander and a member of the junta, then called the state law and order restoration council, or slorc. in november 2001 he was named air defense general of the war office. in february 2003 he was promoted to secretary-2 of the junta, which was vacant after lieutenant general tin oo was killed in a helicopter crash two years before. soe win is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the deadly attack against national league for democracy leader aung san suu kyi and her supporters in the 30 may 2003 depayin massacre. the same year he accompanied senior general than shwe on state visits to vietnam and china. soe win also signed the order to dismiss foreign minister win aung and his deputy in september 2003. ===rise to prime minister=== [[image:khi
1948_births 2007_deaths Burmese_Theravada_Buddhists Cancer_deaths_in_Burma Deaths_from_leukemia Defence_Services_Academy_alumni People_from_Shan_State Prime_Ministers_of_Burma Recipients_of_Pyidaungsu_Sithu_Thingaha