Shwe Mann

Thura Shwe Mann (သူရ ရွှေမန်း, ; born 11 July 1947) is a Burmese politician who has been Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the Burmese parliament, since 2011. Previously he was a leading figure in the military junta that ruled Burma until 2011, serving as joint chief of staff of the Burmese Armed Forces; he was the third highest-ranking member of the State Peace and Development Council, after Than Shwe and Maung Aye.

Career
Shwe Mann graduated in 1969 from the Defence Services Academy, Intake 11. He was promoted to major in 1988. Shwe Mann earned the honorific title "Thura" for his bravery in fighting the Karen National Liberation Army in 1989, and continued his studies at the National Defence Institute. He was the Tactical Operations Commander for Light Infantry Division (LID) 66, based in Prome, Northern Bago Division in 1991. Shwe Mann joined the Ministry of Defence in 2001, becoming joint chief-of-staff. In 2003, he was promoted to general.

He is married to Khin Lay Thet, and the couple have sons, Toe Naing Mann (born June 29, 1978)  and Aung Thet Mann (also known as Shwe Mann Ko Ko, born June 19, 1977), who own Red Link Communications, one of the country's few wireless providers. His son Toe Naing Mann is married to Zay Zin Latt, the daughter of Khin Shwe, a business tycoon who owns Zaykabar Company.

On 31 January 2011, he was elected Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the Burmese parliament.

On 7 February 2012, Shwe Mann addressed the Pyithu Hluttaw, and acknowledged the longstanding issue of corruption in all levels of the government sector, a significant step in the country's normalization process.