Note on Burmese names: Burmese do not have surnames, only given names which may number between one and four. Usually all given names are used when addressing someone, often preceded by an honorific, such as “U” (for an older man) or “Daw” (for an older woman).
Aung San Suu Kyi’s family
ALEXANDER ARIS (Burmese name Myint San Aung): Suu and Michael’s first son.
AUNG SAN: Suu’s father, hero of Burmese independence struggle; often referred to as “Bogyoke” (pronounced “Bo-joke-e’)—Burmese for “General.”
AUNG SAN LIN: Suu’s elder brother, drowned at age nine.
AUNG SAN OO: Aung San and Daw Khin Kyi’s first-born son and Suu’s eldest brother, emigrated to US, engineer.
DAW KHIN GYI: aunt who lived in Suu’s University Avenue compound.
DAW KHIN KYI: Suu’s mother, nurse-turned-diplomat.
DORA THAN É: celebrated prewar singer; not a relative but referred to by Suu as her “emergency aunt.”
KIM ARIS (Burmese name Thein Lin): Suu and Michael’s second son.
MICHAEL ARIS: Suu’s husband.
THAKIN THAN TUN: brother of Daw Khin Kyi, leader of Burmese Communist Party.
National League for Democracy (NLD)
AUNG AUNG: son of Bo Min Lwin, Aung San’s personal bodyguard; head of Suu’s bodyguards during campaign tours.
AUNG GYI: retired general, leading figure in military regime before being purged; the first Chairman of NLD.
AUNG SHWE: head of NLD at time of Suu’s release in 1995.
CHAN AYE: moderate member of NLD’s central executive committee.
DAW MYINT MYINT KHIN: head of Rangoon Bar Association, member of NLD Central Executive Committee; jailed for many years.
DAW NWE: wife of Ko Myint Swe; ran party’s PR operation with him.
HWE MYINT: one of Suu’s earliest political allies.
KO AUNG: colleague of Ko Myint Swe in Suu’s office.
KO MAW: colleague of Ko Myint Swe in Suu’s office.
KO MYINT SWE: poet, Rangoon University librarian, party worker.
KYAW SOE LIN: party lawyer, Suu’s heroic driver at Depayin.
KYI MAUNG: retired colonel, founder member of party.
MA THANEGI: painter, writer, Suu’s personal assistant on tour although never NLD member.
MA THIDA: medical student and early member of party.
MAUNG THAW KA: naval hero-turned-writer and poet, advisor to Suu, died in jail.
MYO THEIN: Suu’s driver on campaign tours, nicknamed “Tiger.”
NYO OHN MYINT: university lecturer, early member of NLD, in exile in Thailand.
SEIN WIN: cousin of Suu’s; Prime Minister of National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma NCGUB in exile.
THAKIN TIN MYA: communist; early collaborator with Suu.
TIN OO: retired general, vice chairman and cofounder of NLD, detained for many years.
U HLA PE: senior member of campaign touring group.
WIN KHET: personal assistant to Suu.
WIN THEIN: one of Suu’s bodyguards on campaign.
WIN TIN: dissident journalist, founder member of NLD, jailed for nineteen years.
WUNNA MAUNG: Suu’s bodyguard at Depayin.
The Regime
AUNG LYNN HTUT: former member of Khin Nyunt staff, diplomat in Burma’s US embassy before defecting.
KHIN MAUNG WIN: deputy Foreign Minister, apologist for Depayin massacre.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL KHIN NYUNT: protégé of Ne Win; head of military intelligence.
GENERAL MAUNG AYE: third member of Than Shwe-Khin Nyunt triumvirate.
MAUNG MAUNG: President from August 1988 to Sep 1988, replacing Sein Lwin.
MAUNG TUN: major who countermanded Captain Myint U’s order to fire on Suu and NLD at Danubyu, probably saving Suu’s life.
BRIGADIER MYINT AUNG: fierce enemy of NLD at Danubyu.
MYINT U: captain at Danubyu who ordered troops to fire at Suu and NLD party.
NE WIN: general who seized power in coup in 1962; ex-comrade of General Aung San.
GENERAL SAW MAUNG: first Chairman of SLORC, supplanting Maung Maung as head of state.
SEIN LWIN: “the Butcher,” briefly replaced Ne Win as President.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL THAN HAN: the military commander behind Depayin assault.
GENERAL THAN SHWE: Chairman of SLORC/SPDC, replacing Saw Maung in 1992; in power until 2010.
BRIGADIER GENERAL THAN TUN: member of Khin Nyunt staff; negotiated with Suu in 2004.
TIN AUNG HEIN: Minister of Justice under Ne Win.
TIN PE: the “Red Brigadier”; hard-liner in Ne Win regime.
U WIN SEIN: Secretary of USDA, Minister of Transport; urged “eradication” of Suu before Depayin.
IBRAHIM GAMBARI: UN Deputy Secretary-General in mid 1990s.
ROBERT GORDON: British ambassador in late 1990s.
RAZALI ISMAIL: UN envoy in early 1990s.
MARTIN MORLAND: British ambassador during 1988 uprising.
U THANT: third Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Historical Figures
BA MAW: Prime Minister between the wars.
BRIGADIER KYAW ZAW: one of Aung San’s thirty comrades; chided by Suu for lack of involvement in political struggle.
SIR J.G. (GEORGE) SCOTT, aka Shway Yoe: British governor in Shan States; author of The Burman.
SUPAYALAT: Thibaw’s queen, exiled with him in 1886.
THIBAW: last King of Burma, exiled by British in 1886.
U OTTAMA: Buddhist monk, anti-British activist.
Others
ASSHIN ISSARIYA, aka King Zero: Buddhist monk, leader of Saffron Revolution in 2007.
BO KYI: student leader in 1988; founder and head of Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
GENERAL BO MYA: historic leader of Karen Independence Army.
KHAING SAW THUN: lawyer; refugee in Manerplaw camp, 1991.
DAW KHIN KHIN WIN: companion/housekeeper for Suu in detention.
KHIN MYINT: younger sister of Tin Tin, childhood friend of Suu’s.
KITTY BA THAN: one of Ne Win’s several wives.
LEO NICHOLS, “Uncle Leo”: Anglo-Burmese businessman and family friend of Suu’s.
MAUNG PHONE MAW: first victim of police violence, March 1988.
MAUNG ZARNI: sociologist and activist.
MEE MA MA: daughter of Khin Khin Win; fellow companion/housekeeper for Suu.
MIN KO NAING: student leader.
DR. NAING AUNG: student leader in 1988; now in exile in Thailand.
NITA YIN YIN MAY: information officer at British Embassy.
PASCAL KHOO THWE: former student leader, writer.
ROSS DUNKLEY: Australian entrepreneur and journalist, founder of the Myanmar Times.
SOE TINT: family friend of Suu’s; escort of Daw Khin Kyi on Martyr’s Day.
THANT MYINT-U: grandson of U Thant; writer.
TIN TIN: childhood friend of Suu’s.
DR. TIN TUN OO: regime crony; Chief Executive of Myanmar Times.
U GAMBIRA: Buddhist monk; leader of Saffron Revolution.
U NU: elected Prime Minister; overthrown by Ne Win.