BANGKOK (AP) — The man installed by army leaders as Myanmar’s new president after Monday’s military coup is best known abroad for his role in the crackdown on 2007 pro-democracy protests. Myint Swe was the army-appointed vice president when he was named Monday to take over after the military arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of her party and declared a one-year state of emergency. But while Myint Swe is president, the real power lies with the country’s top military commander, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. He has been commander of the armed forces since 2011 and is due to retire soon. That would clear the way for him to take a civilian leadership role if the junta holds elections as promised.
