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Than Shwe attends the third quarterly coordination meeting of the State Peace and Development Council, including state and division level SPDC members, held at the Ministry of Defense hall in Naypyidaw on January 19, 2007.

January 12, 2007
Burmese military leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe on Friday returned from a two-week trip to Singapore, where he was treated for a medical condition. According to a witness, Than Shwe arrived at Rangoon’s international airport in mid-afternoon on a specially chartered flight of Myanmar Airways International. He later departed in a black Land Cruiser, the source added. The 73-year-old Than Shwe left for Singapore on December 31 accompanied by his family and a team of doctors led by his Health Minister and personal physician, Kyaw Myint. Sources in Singapore said that Than Shwe received treatment for intestinal cancer.

January 08, 2007
Burmese military leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe was discharged from Singapore General Hospital on Monday, according to sources in the city state. He was reportedly admitted in late December with an intestinal ailment. Some news reports said that he was suffering from intestinal cancer. Sources within Singapore’s Burmese community said that he is expected to return to Burma in the next two days.

A report by Reuters on Sunday said that, while hospital authorities denied that Than Shwe had been admitted, a reporter and photographer from the news agency witnessed several security staff outside one of the hospital rooms. Security later barred the journalists from the hospital. The photographer was briefly detained and forced to delete his photographs.

January 05, 2007
Burma’s top leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, is being treated at Singapore General Hospital for intestinal cancer, sources reported on Friday. The veteran leader, who is in his seventies, was admitted to the hospital on December 31. The sources said their information had been confirmed by the hospital.

In the absence of Than Shwe, his deputy, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, hosted an Independence Day dinner in Naypyidaw on January 4.

January 03, 2007
Burma’s top leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, was admitted to a hospital in Singapore on December 31, according to sources in the city state, who cannot confirm the reason for his hospitalization. Sources claim the aging general was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on New Year’s Eve, adding that the visit could be for a regularly scheduled medical examination. Than Shwe’s age is officially given as 73, but military sources have suggested a more realistic figure of 76 or 77. His wife, Kyaing Kyaing, and his three daughters reportedly accompanied him to Singapore.

December 29, 2006
Snr-Gen Than Shwe, along with family members and a handful of senior leaders of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council, traveled widely in the country during the week of December 21 to December 28. Most recently, he attended graduation services for the 9th and 8th intakes of the Defense Services Medical Academy in Rangoon on Thursday. In his address to the graduates, he said that in their studies of military science they must be brave, patriotic and prepared to sacrifice in their defense of the country. Than Shwe also had a personal meeting with three outstanding DSMA graduates and their parents.

Ever busy this holiday season, Than Shwe also attended the 8th intake of the Defense Services Technological Academy in Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as Maymyo, in Mandalay Division. “A powerful nation of the world tries to monopolize space militarily,” he said to the graduates. “You are to try to become the technologists who can promote military science and technology in building a modern Tatmadaw.” His wife, Kyaing Kyaing, and his three daughters also attended the ceremony. While in Mandalay Division, Than Shwe also paid a visit to the construction site of the new Yadanabon Bridge across the Irrawaddy River. He was joined by Lt-Gen Ye Myint, Lt-Gen Kyaw Win and Gen Thura Shwe Mann.

December 04, 2006
Burma’s junta chief, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, will not attend an annual summit of Asean scheduled for mid-December in the Philippines because he is focusing on drafting Burma’s new constitution—a principle goal of the National Convention, which reconvened in October this year. According to an official letter sent to the Philippines foreign ministry, Burma will send Prime Minister Gen Soe Win to represent Than Shwe at the 12th Asean Summit on December 11-13 on Mactan Island, 600 km south of Manila.

Than Shwe also missed last year’s Asean summit, which was chaired by Malaysia. Burma was scheduled to take over the rotating chairmanship of Asean this year, but it backed out amid pressure from Asean partners—the US and EU. The chairmanship passed instead to the Philippines, based on the regional bloc’s alphabetical rotation. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier personally invited Than Shwe to attend the summit.