A rare insider’s account of Burmese history, including the nation’s ongoing civil conflicts.  

Burma’s ongoing travails have been framed by the conflict between former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and successive military juntas. Win Htein has been closely involved in many of these skirmishes. Involved in the formation of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 1988, he became a key NLD figure, member of parliament, and one of “The Lady’s” closest confidantes. His detailed insider’s account of the NLD’s twists and turns over decades of military repression and a few brief years of democratic resurgence is unmatched.

In many ways, Htein’s life has been intertwined with his country’s recent history. Born during the Japanese invasion of British Burma in 1941, he grew up in the tumultuous years of Burma’s independence. A military cadet when General Ne Win seized power in 1962, he later took part in the fight against communist and separatist organizations. He reveals several unknown stories from his time inside the military, which ended in 1977 when, in the aftermath of a failed military coup, he began a new career in business. In 1988, he became involved in the pro-democracy movement and joined the personal staff of Suu Kyi. His arrest, torture, and imprisonment the following year after the movement’s suppression and Suu Kyi’s house arrest began decades of detention, release, and political struggle. Following the 2021 coup, once again, he is behind bars.