Bo Let Ya

Bo Let Ya
Major General; Bo Let Ya
	ဗိုလ်လက်ျာ
Minister of Defence of Burma
	In office; 1947 – 19??
Preceded by	Aung San
Deputy Prime Minister of Burma
	In office; 1947–1952
Preceded by	Aung San
Commander in Chief of the Burma Defence Army
	In office; 1947–1948
Preceded by	Aung San
Succeeded by	Smith Dun
Personal details
Born	Hla Pe (လှဖေ); 30 August 1911; Pyinmana, British Burma
Died	29 November 1978 (aged 67)
Nationality	Burmese
Political party	Dobama Asiayone; AFPFL; Communist Party of Burma; Parliamentary Democracy Party
Occupation	Army officer, Statesman
Awards	Independence Mawgunwin (First Class)
Military service
Allegiance	Burma
Branch/service	Burma National Army
Rank	Major General

Bo Let Ya (Burmese: ဗိုလ်လက်ျာ, pronounced [bò lɛʔ jà]; also spelt Bo Letya; born Hla Pe; 30 August 1911 – 29 November 1978) was a Burmese military officer and a member of the legendary Thirty Comrades who fought for Burma's independence from Britain. He also served as the 2nd Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Union of Burma (now Myanmar) and Deputy Prime Minister of Burma.

Early life

He attended Myoma High School in Rangoon.[1]

Career

During the Second World War he was Chief of Staff of the Burma Defence Army (1942-1943) and as Deputy Minister of War in the Japanese puppet-state, the State of Burma (1943-1945). After the war, he replaced Aung San as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister when the latter was assassinated on 19 July 1947. He was later made to resign from the post by AFPFL Government. He was involved in the 1947 Let Ya-Freeman Agreement.[1] He also founded the Patriotic Burmese Army in 1969, an exile rebel army based in Thailand. During the 1950s and 1960s, following his resignation from his political and military posts, he founded Martaban Fisheries and became a millionaire businessman.[2]

Throughout his career, he served the following posts:[2]

Deputy Minister of War Affairs (1943–1945)
Defence Councillor (July 1947 – 1948)
Deputy Prime Minister (January 1948 – 1952)
Minister of Defence

Following the 1962 coup d'état, Bo Let Ya was imprisoned by the Union Revolutionary Council from 1963 to 1965.

Death

On 29 November 1978, he was killed by Karen troops during a battle following a split in the Karen National Union's leadership.[2]

References

Seekins, Donald M. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar). Scarecrow Press. pp. 267–268. ISBN 9780810854765.
Zöllner, Hans-Bernd (2008). "Material on Two Political Dictionaries" (PDF). Working Paper No. 10:13. Universität Passau. ISSN 1435-5310. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-14.

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[seekins-1] Seekins, Donald M. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar). Scarecrow Press. pp. 267–268. ISBN 9780810854765.

[zollner-2] Zöllner, Hans-Bernd (2008). "Material on Two Political Dictionaries" (PDF). Working Paper No. 10:13. Universität Passau. ISSN 1435-5310. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-14.