Tin Oo General Thura Tin Oo ( , ; born 3 March 1927 in Pathein , often referred to as U Tin Oo ) is a retired general , former commander in chief of the armed forces of Union of Myanmar , highly decorated soldier , pro - democracy activist and deputy leader of the National League for Democracy ( NLD ) in Myanmar . Military career . Tin Oo joined the army on 26 February 1946 as a Second Lieutenant in Burma Rifle Battalion . He reached the ranks of Lieutenant on 7 January 1947 , Captain on 27 September 1948 and served as executive officer at Armed Forces Training Headquarters . On 22 June 1949 , he was transferred to No . 1 Burma Rifle Battalion as Company Commander . He was promoted to the rank of Major on 25 January 1950 and became Deputy Battalion Commander ( 2IC ) of No . 1 Burma Rifle Battalion and took over the position of acting Battalion Commander on 27 November 1951 . Tin Oo was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 21 January 1954 and became Commander of 4th Infantry Brigade on 30 May 1957 . He was then transferred to Army Officer Training School as Commandant on 13 September 1957 . Throughout 1958 and 1961 , Lieutenant Colonel Tin Oo served as Battalion Commander for No . 14 Infantry Battalion ( from 18 November 1958 ) , No . 2 Burma Rifle Battalion ( from 16 February 1961 ) and after his promotion as Colonel , he became acting Commander for No . 13 Infantry Brigade ( from 20 February 1961 ) . He was then given the command of South West Regional Military Command and promoted to the rank of Colonel on 14 February 1963 . On 19 September 1964 he became Commander of Central Regional Military Command . He was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and became Deputy Chief of Staff ( Army ) on 20 April 1972 . On 8 March 1974 he was promoted to the rank of General and became Commander in Chief of Tatmadaw . He was armed forces Comannder in Chief during the bloody crackdown on student protests surrounding the funeral of former UN Secretary General U Thant . During his military career , General Tin Oo was awarded with Thuya medal , prestigious award for gallantry and bravery in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of Myanmar Armed Forces . He led both tactical and strategic campaigns against the Karen National Union as well as the Communist Party of Burma and various ethnic armed groups , especially in the north and east of the country . Forced retirement , accusations and imprisonment . On 6 March 1976 , As per Order no . 26 / 76 issued by the Council of State , Tin Oo was forced to retired from his position as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Burma . According to the official explanation released by the then ruling party , Burma Socialist Programme Party , General Tin Oo was forced to retire because Dr . Daw Tin Moe Wei , his wife , broke the rules and regulations laid down for the spouses of commanding officers of the Tatmadaw by accepting numerous bribes , thus affecting General Tin Oo ' s position as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces . After his forced retirement , he was accused of high treasons against the armed forces ( Tatmadaw ) , the party ( BSPP ) and the state . He was subsequently arrested and tried for the alleged withholding of information concerning a failed coup - d ' état against General Ne Win and the Council of State . On 11 January 1977 , Judge U Ohn Maung , Chairman of Divisional Justice Committee for Yangon Division sentenced him to 7 years hard labour and imprisonment according to Crime Against State and High Treasons Act 124 . Tin Oo ' s subsequent appeal for this judgement on 20 August 1977 was summarily dismissed by Judge Soe Hlaing , of Council of People Justice , the equivalent of the Supreme Court , and upheld the judgement handed out by Yangon Division Justice Committee . Colonel Hla Pe , commander of Northern Regional Command , Colonel Maung Maung , Colonel General Staff and Colonel Myo Aung , commander of Southwest Regional Command were also dismissed and the former two were imprisoned along with General Tin Oo . Political career . He was released under general amnesty in 1980 , after which he studied and received a degree in Law . On 2 September 1988 , he became the Vice Chairman of the National League for Democracy ( NLD ) and on 20 December , the Chairman of NLD . From 20 July 1989 he was put under house arrest and from 22 December 1989 , he was imprisoned for three years . On 30 May 2003 , Tin Oo , travelling with the caravan of Aung San Suu Kyi , leader of the NLD , was attacked in the northern village of Depayin by a government - sponsored mob , murdering and wounding many of his supporters . Tin Oo was taken into detention along with Aung San Suu Kyi and was initially held in prison in Kalay in northwestern Myanmar . In February 2004 he was brought back to his home in Yangon , where he is actually held under house arrest . The junta extended his detention by one year in February 2007 , 2008 , and 2009 . The last of these extensions was in violation of the rule of Burmese law , but no explanation was given by the junta . He was released from House Arrest on February 13 , 2010 .