Ba Swe

Who was Ba Swe?

Ba Swe was the second Premier of Burma. He was a leading Burmese politician during the decade after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. He held the position of prime minister from 12 June 1956 to 28 February 1957. When Ba Swe became prime minister, Time magazine reported the news in an article titled: 'The Day of the Tiger' based on his nickname 'Big Tiger' since his university days in the 1930s as a student leader.

His name was often paired with the name of another famous student leader as Ba Hein and Ba Swe, both Thakins or members of the nationalist Dobama Asiayone and were arrested by the British colonial government during the year of countrywide protests, demonstrations and strikes in 1938 known as the "1300 Revolution". Ba Hein became a founder member of the Communist Party of Burma in 1939 and shortly afterwards Ba Swe and Ba Hein among others founded the People's Revolutionary Party, renamed the Burma Socialist Party after the war. Ba Swe was also known for his penchant for wearing dark glasses.