Noan Klay

Noan Klay (3 October 1934 - 17 June 2010) was a Burmese politician, Chairman of the BSPP from 1986 until 1988. During that time, he also served as President. He was the last leader of socialist Burma. He previously served in the Armed Forces as a Vice Senior General.

Leadership
Once elected as Chairman of the BSPP, the country most powerful position, he announced the expansion of the state controlled General Assembly from 450 to 800 members. On 27 March, the party designated him as the President of Burma, giving him de-facto executive powers.

Klay during the early months of his presidency visited the Soviet Union, and assisted to the democratization process under Gorbachev. He took note of Glasnost and Perestroika, and returned to Burma. He then convened with the Central Committee on October 1986 to elaborate reforms similar to those enacted in the Soviet Union in order to save the party control, which was severed undermined due to his bizarre policies.

During the Spring of 1987, Klay presented to the Party Congress a new set of reforms that would have liberalized the economy, and ease political repression. However, an open debate between hardliners and reformers emerged, further dividing the party. At the end, a compromise was reached to follow the Chinese model and mantain authoritarian control.

The first economic openings were scheduled to be made on Summer 1988. However, unknown sources leaked to the public the massive corruption system and the massacres perpetrated by the previous socialist administrations. These allegations triggered the most important and numerous protests in the history of Burma, and were partly repressed. Klay fled to Laos to attend a regional meeting on 23 August 1988, and on the 30th he sent a letter to the party leadership, effectively announcing his resignation. The party, being in such a bad state in terms of organization, formed a last congress that stripped Klay of his powers and responsibilities. The BSPP then disbanded, asking the military to step in and organize multi-party elections.

Klay remained in Laos until 1991. He then moved to Thailand, and was consacrated as a Buddhist Monk, and remained there until 2006. He was allowed to return in Burma on March 7, 2007. Since then, he lived a quiet life in retirement, often interviewed by foreign press that made few documentaries about him. He said that he regrets the signed order that allowed the massacres.

He died in Yangoon on June 17, 2010. He received a private funeral with his family.