The Sittaung (Burmese: စစ်တောင်းမြစ် [sɪʔ táʊɴ mjɪʔ]; formerly, the Sittang or Sittoung) is a river in south central Myanmar in Bago Division. The Pegu Range separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Plateau southeast of Mandalay, and flows southward to the Gulf of Martaban. Its length is 420 km and its mean annual discharge is around 50 cubic kilometers per year.

Although it flows through fairly flat country, the Sittaung has a notorious tidal bore at its mouth which has precluded any but very small craft navigating the river. The river is navigable for 40 km year round and for 90 km during three months of the year. The river is used primarily to float timber south for export. Strong currents make the river even less valuable as a means of transport in eastern Burma. Its basin does not have the same richness for agriculture as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing from the Himalayas.

Battle of Sittang Bridge

Coordinates: 17°12′06″N 96°56′26″E / 17.20167°N 96.94056°E / 17.20167; 96.94056

Sittaung (စစ်တောင်း) is a town in Paungbyin Township, Mawlaik District, in the Sagaing Region of Burma (Myanmar) on the right bank of the Chindwin River. There is a highway running west to the Indian border which provides Tamu with access to transport on the Chindwin. This road was laid out in 1887 by troops under Major General J. J. H. Gordon to better link Manipur with Upper Burma.

Thein Sein (Burmese: သိန်းစိန် [θéɪɴ zèɪɴ]; born 20 April 1945) is a Burmese politician and former military figure who has been president of Burma (Myanmar) since March 2011. Previously, he was Prime Minister from 2007 until 2011. He is generally considered to be a moderate and reformist in the new government.

Thein Sein was born in Kyonku, British Burma (now Myanmar), a small village in what is now Ngapudaw Township in the Irrawaddy delta to parents Maung Phyo (father) and Khin Nyunt (mother). He was the youngest of three children. His parents were landless, and his father made a living carrying cargo at the river jetty and weaving bamboo mats.

Thein Sein graduated from the 9th intake of the Defense Services Academy in 1968.

Throughout Thein Sein's four-decade-long military career, he was considered a bureaucrat, not a combat soldier. In 1988, he served as a major for Sagaing Division's 55th Light Infantry Division and later served as a commander for Sagaing Division's 89th Infantry Battalion in Kalay Township. The following year, he studied at the Command and General Staff College in Kalaw, Shan State.