U Thant (1909 – 1974) was a Burmese diplomat and the third United Nations Secretary-General. Hla Oo, Guest Contributor - 23 Jul, 2008. The Soviets and the French had both fallen out with the Secretary-General and had refused to pay their part for the Congo operation. By this time Burma was ruled by a military junta which refused him any honors. The then Burmese president Ne Win was envious of Thant's international stature and the respect that was accorded him by the Burmese populace. Neutralist by inclination and in practice, he criticized both West and East for actions and attitudes that he considered threatening to world peace. WORLD. The election of U Thant as secretary-general on November 3, 1961, six weeks after the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld, was a novelty in international relations. After Pantanaw National High School, U Thant attended Rangoon University, but dropped out in his second year when his father's death left him responsible for supporting his family. Dictionary, 1974 (Thant, U, 1909- Burmese diplomat, born at Pantanaw; became permanent U.N. representative for Burma in 1957, in 1961 he was elected acting secretary-general of the U.N. after the death of Hammarskjöld and became permanent secretary-general in 1962; resigned in 1971) found: Praññʻ toʻ sā kha rī, 1961- : v. 1, t.p. His second term of office expired 31 December 1971. U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. 6165893, citing Rangoon University Student Union, Rangoon, East Yangon District, Yangon Region, Myanmar ; Maintained by Find A Grave . The war we have to wage today has only one goal, and that is to make the world safe for diversity. In 1957 U Thant became Burma’s ambassador to the United Nations. Today we will have 10 hours and 2 minutes of daylight. The then Burmese president Ne Win was envious of U Thant's international stature and the respect that was accorded him by the Burmese populace. Although Nepal’s royal family attended numerous meetings of the International Committee for the Development of Lumbini, and gave patronage to the Lumbini Development Trust, the master plan languished. ""Thant" was his only name. The U Thant Peace Award was created by Sri Chinmoy's peace meditations at the United Nations, after U Thant's death. U Thant married Daw Thein Tin and the couple had three children; two sons named Maung Bo and Tin Maung Thant and a daughter named Aye Aye Thant. He also had one adopted son. The road Jalan U-Thant (U-Thant Road) and the township Taman U-Thant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are also named in his honor. U Thant meets with U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Cabinet Room, White House on 21 February 1968. Thant, U, 1909-1974) found : Chambers Biog. Thant had three younger siblings, all brothers. Thant’s tenure was not without its problems and failures, however. It was a catastrophic moment in the UN’s history. On 30 November 1962 he was further elected as the Secretary-General. U Thant was a Burmese diplomat who served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. He worked in the areas of communications and foreign affairs, serving as the government’s press director and head of national broadcasting, before moving into policy development. He proved an effective administrator, filling several important positions in the Burmese bureaucracy. United Nations Secretary-General. Thant (Burmese: သန့်; MLCTS: san. United Nations flag flying from pole. He was the first non-European to ever hold the position. Historian and founder of Yangon Heritage Trust Dr Thant Myint-U, the grandson of U Thant, re-discovered the house in 2012 in a state of ruin. After the death of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, he was elected permanent secretary general in 1962, and he was re-elected for five years in 1966. Andrew Selth . On the centenary of his birth in 2009, current UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon remarked: “U Thant was thrust into the role of secretary general at a time of crisis following the untimely death of Dag Hammarskjöld, and navigated the organisation through the 1960s. He died of lung cancer on November 25, 1974, in New York. Unlike his predecessor Hammarskjold, Thant was widely respected by Cold War leaders on all sides. He served two terms from 1961 to 1971. By this time Burma was ruled by a military junta which refused him any honors. Thant, the eldest of four sons, was born in Pantanaw, colonial Burma, to a moderately wealthy family of landowners and rice merchants. The Griffith Asia Institute produces relevant, interdisciplinary research on key developments in the politics, security and economies of the Asia-Pacific. For are not birth and death the two phases of the same life process? Ne Win also resented U Thant's close links with the democratic government of U Nuwhich Ne Win had overthrown in a coup d'état on March 2, 1962. After 1990, corruption, poor governance and conflict took their toll. Various shots of KLM Turbo prop aircraft taxiing in at Ferihegy airport, Budapest. U Thant was born Maha Thray Sithu in south-west Burma, then a British colony. U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. U Thant Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. He was widely praised for his diplomacy and peace-keeping skills which were frequently needed during his turbulent period as UN Secretary-General from 30 Nov 1961 to 31 Dec 1971. This Cold War site contains articles, perspectives and sources on global events and tensions between 1945 and 1991. Though U Thant was frustrated by his limited powers, his elevation to the highest executive position in the international organization was one of the key indicators of the new importance of Asian nations. After 1990, corruption, poor governance and conflict took their toll. By that time, Burma was ruled by a military junta which refused him any honors. Ne Win also resented U Thant's close links with the … In December 2013, in an effort spearheaded by his daughter Aye Aye Thant and his grandson Thant Myint-U, Thant's house in Yangon was being converted into a museum which would feature his photos, works and personal belongings. Death of a h ero: The U Thant disturbance s in Burma , December 1974. Two weeks after Secretary General Dag Hammarskjí¶ld's death in 1961, the General Assembly appointed U Thant, Ambassador of Burma to the UN, to fill the unexpired term of the late Secretary General. U Thant insisted, accordingly, that in the circumstances only quiet diplomacy had a chance to yield results. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for U Thant (22 Jan 1909–25 Nov 1974), Find a Grave Memorial no. Although Nepal’s royal family attended numerous meetings of the International Committee for the Development of Lumbini, and gave patronage to the Lumbini Development Trust, … His death sparked a crisis in his native Burma, which had been ruled by an anti-democratic military junta since 1962. His death sparked a crisis in his native Burma, which had been ruled by an anti-democratic military junta since 1962. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. His father was an English-speaking academic who encouraged his children to study. U Thant (22 January 1909 – 25 November 1974) was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971.He was chosen after his predecessor Dag Hammarskjöld was killed in a plane crash in September 1961. Four years later he was appointed UN Secretary-General, following the sudden death of Dag Hammarskjold in a plane accident. A devout Buddhist with a conciliatory and thoughtful approach to international problems, Thant contributed to the resolution of several international incidents, including the colonial tensions in Algeria (1961) and the Congolese civil war (1966). U Thant served two full terms as Secretary General before retiring at the end of 1971. Then in 1974, I … English: Maha Thray Sithu U Thant (January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974) was a Burma diplomat who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from November 1961 until December 1974. Thant was also criticised for withdrawing UN peacekeeping troops from the Sinai peninsula in 1967, a decision that contributed to the Six Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states. The U Thant funeral crisis or U Thant crisis (Burmese: ဦးသန့် အရေးအခင်း) was a series of protests and riots in the then-Burmese capital of Yangon triggered by the death of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations on 25 November 1974. On Nov. 3, 1961, Thant was named acting UN secretary general following Dag Hammarskjöld's death and was confirmed in the post on Nov. 30, 1962. U Thant, (born Jan. 22, 1909, Pantanaw, Burma [now Myanmar]—died Nov. 25, 1974, New York, N.Y., U.S.), Myanmar educator, civil servant, and third secretary general of the United Nations (1962–71). On Dec. 2, 1966, he was elected to a second 5-year term. URL: https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/u-thant/ The U Thant funeral crisis or U Thant crisis was a series of protests and riots in the then-Burmese capital of Yangon triggered by the death of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of … U Thant. By Wei Yan Aung 21 June 2020 . In Burmese he was known as Pantanaw U Thant. U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. Publisher: Alpha History Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. Four years later he was appointed UN Secretary-General, following the sudden death of Dag Hammarskjold in a plane accident. This site is created by Alpha History and contains 311,904 words in 408 pages. See also: U Thant funeral crisis. U Thant later adopted a son.U Thant died on November 25, 1974, of lung cancer in New York. U. Thant 2021 - Biography at Wikipedia (Wiki, Age, Birthday) U. Thant - diplomat, 3rd UN Secretary General U. Thant was born on January 22, 1909 in Pantanaw United Nations Secretary-General. Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. First offered in 1982, the award is given to individuals and organizations who have exemplified the lofty spiritual ideals of the late United Nations Secretary-General U Thant and implemented those ideals in the tireless pursuit of world peace. The then Burmese president Ne Win was envious of U Thant's international stature and the respect that was accorded him by the Burmese populace. Almanac - Friday 1/22/21 iv About the Author . U Thant. Title: “U Thant” U Thant died of lung cancer in New York on November 25, 1974. 1974 U Thant uprising – a first hand account. —John F. Kennedy, October 1962. The election of U Thant as secretary-general on November 3, 1961, six weeks after the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld, was a novelty in international relations. Thant’s father, an educated man, was one of the individuals involved in the establishment of the Burmese Research Society as well as the newspaper ‘The Sun’. He was a founding member of the Burma Research Society and had helped establish The Sun (Thuriya) newspaper in Rangoon. His attempts to bring about peace negotiations during the Cuban missile crisis (1962) and the Vietnam War (1965-75) were rebuffed and achieved little. U Thant (1909-1974) was a Burmese and the first non-European secretary general of the United Nations.Though U Thant was frustrated by his limited powers, his elevation to the highest executive position in the international organization was one of the key … The Secretary-General could, in his private capacity—as U Thant—talk to people who would not talk to one another; his strength lay in his impartiality and the support of … U Thant – the UN third Secretary-General was a supreme diplomat and peacemaker. U.S. #1204 – U Thant became U.N. secretary-general after Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash. U Thant served two full terms as Secretary General before retiring at the end of 1971. After U Thant’s death in 1974, the UN’s focus and fund-raising for the project also waned. He spent his retirement writing and campaigning for peace and other causes he had championed with the UN. After the 1962 coup, relations between U Thant and General Ne Win’s military dictatorship were tense. Thant died of cancer in November 1974. iii About the Griffith Asia Institute . U Thant of Burma (1909-1974) was elected Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations by the General Assembly on 3 November 1961. BCU. For more information, visit our FAQ page or Terms of Use. After U Thant’s death in 1974, the UN’s focus and fund-raising for the project also waned. When Burma’s military government refused to give Thant a state funeral, his coffin was snatched by students. The following year, U Thant was elected unanimously by the General Assembly to serve for another four years. The couple had three, two sons Maung Bo and Tin Maung Thant but lost both died and a daughter. U Thant biography. Soon after his tenure began, he was put to one of his most important tests. Thant, best known as U Thant was the third Secretary-General of the United Nations who served from 1961 to 1971. ; IPA: ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (/ uː θ ɑː n t /), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. Info: Third Secretary General of the United Nations: Date of Birth: 01/22/1909: Date of Death: 11/25/1974: Age at Death: 65: Cause of Death: The first high tide will be at 6:23 am. The beginning of the so-called “U Thant Uprising” was the day I will never forget even though, nowadays, I can’t really recall the exact date. Andrew Selth . See also: U Thant funeral crisis. Latest News. – U Thant p. 23 “To understand my feelings — and my conception of the role of Secretary General — the nature of my religious and cultural background must first be understood. According to the Buddha, birth is followed by death, but death, in turn, is followed by rebirth. Believe it or not, our small group of about 50 students from the RIT’s First Year Section-D unknowingly started the 1974 student uprising. Thant graduated from University College, Rangoon and became a high school teacher and, in 1935, a school headmaster. Thant's tomb, Shwedagon Pagoda Road, Rangoon.