Phyo Min Thein

Phyo Min Thein
His Excellency; Phyo Min Thein
	ဖြိုးမင်းသိန်း
2nd Chief Minister of Yangon Region
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 30 March 2016
President	Win Myint
Preceded by	Myint Swe
Member of the Yangon Region Hluttaw
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 8 February 2016
Constituency	Hlegu Township Constituency № 2
Member of the Pyithu Hluttaw
	In office; 2 May 2012 – 29 January 2016
Succeeded by	Thein Tan
Constituency	Hlegu Township
Personal details
Born	13 April 1969; Yangon, Burma
Nationality	Burmese
Political party	Democratic Party for a New Society (1988–90); People Democracy Party (2010); Union Democratic Party (2010); National League for Democracy (2012–present);
Spouse(s)	Khin Mi Mi Kywe (m. 2009)
Parents	Khin Tun; Khin Khin Aye
Alma mater	Yangon University (no degree)
Occupation	Politician

Phyo Min Thein (Burmese: ဖြိုးမင်းသိန်း; born 13 April 1969) is a Burmese politician and former political prisoner who is currently serving as Chief Minister of Yangon Region and Yangon Region Parliament MP for Hlegu Township Constituency No. 2. Prior to this, he was the chairman of Union Democratic Party and founder of People Democracy Party which was later merged with Union Democratic Party.[1][2][3]

Early life

Phyo Min Thein was born on 13 April 1969 in Yangon. He was the youngest of four children born to Khin Tun and Khin Khin Aye.[4] He studied at Yangon University but did not graduate.

Student activist

In 1988, Phyo Min Thein was a second year physics major student at Botahtaung campus of Yangon University when the 8888 Uprising began, and became the secretary of the Thanlyin Township All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABSFU). During the uprising, he was one of the leaders of Botahtaung campus and Thanlyin Township anti-government protests. He helped founded the Democratic Party for a New Society in 1988.[4]

Political imprisonment

Phyo Min Thein was arrested on 20 January 1991 for his involvement in 8888 Uprising and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in May 1991. In 1995, during his time in prison, the military government added another seven years to his sentence. In 2001, the government extended another seven years to his sentence. He was eventually released on 6 July 2005.[4]

Political career

Early political career

Phyo Min Thein was a chairman of Union Democratic Party and also a founder of People Democracy Party which was later merged with Union Democratic Party.[1][2][3] He was elected for a parliamentary seat in the lower house (Pyithu Hluttaw)'s Hlegu constituency in the 2012 by-elections, representing the National League for Democracy.[1]

Chief Minister

In 2015 general election, he was elected for a parliamentary seat in Yangon Region Parliament. He was appointed as Chief Minister of Yangon Region on 30 March 2016.

His decision to restrict 2016 Burmese New Year Water Festival pandals in Yangon soon after he took Chief Minister Office was challenged by several people.[5][6] In May 2016, he ordered a controversial decision to crack down nightlife in Yangon, which resulted a public backlash.[7][8]

In May 2016, he made hard line decisions to suspend around 70 high-rise construction projects and tightening regulations against drinking establishments.[9] The decision was criticized by real estate developers and some lawmakers.[10]

In January 2017, he launched Yangon Bus Service (YBS) to overhaul the bus network of Yangon. However, YBS amid criticism of being ill-equipped to serve commuters, shortage of buses, misconduct of bus staff and constant violation of traffic rules. On 7 April 2017, lawmakers from Yangon Region Parliament called for a transparent review of the YBS.[11] On 24 and 27 April 2017, he was conspicuously absent from the debate session on YBS review proposal, so some lawmakers accused him of disrespecting Parliament. On 27 April, 117 lawmakers approved the review proposal after a heated debate by 26 legislators.[12][13]

On 8 March 2019, news reports stated Phyo Min Thein's affiliations with Kyaw Ne Win and Aye Ne Win, the grandsons of Myanmar's former dictator U Ne Win, regarding the financing of US$36.8 million for the acquisition of buses for the YBS.[14] It was reported that the loan was sought at the Phyo Min Thein's recommendation,[15] and that the local bank was preparing to sue the YBS consortium for violating its payment deadline.[16]

In the wake of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état on 1 February, Phyo Min Thein was detained by the Myanmar Armed Forces.[17]

Personal life

Phyo Min Thein married to Khin Mi Mi Kywe in 2009. He is a brother-in-law of Htay Kywe, a pro-democracy activist and one of the leaders of 8888 Uprisings.[18]

References

"From prison to parliament".
Aye Thidar Kyaw. "Central Bank official responds to NLD's call for greater autonomy".
"Asia-pacific – A new Burmese MP's cautious optimism". France 24.
"ကိုယ်ရေးအကျဉ်း" (Press release). Yangon: National League for Democracy. August 2015.
Myat Nyein Aye, Ye Mon (1 April 2016). "NLD massively scales back water festival stages". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
Myat Nyein Aye. "Thingyan scaled back in Yangon". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
Toe Wai Aung and Ashok Manandhar. "Yangon police crackdown widens".
"Yangon Police Take the 'Night' out of 'Nightlife'". The Irrawaddy.
"New Chief Minister sets out to modernise Yangon".
"Lawmaker and Real Estate Developer Condemns Suspended High-Rise Construction". 27 July 2016.
"Lawmakers Call For Review of Yangon's New Bus System". 6 April 2017.
"YBS Review Proposal Approved, Following Heated Parliamentary Debate". 27 April 2017.
"Chief Minister Absent as Yangon Parliament Discusses YBS Shortcomings". 25 April 2017.
"Bus Company Owned by Ex-Dictator Ne Win's Grandsons at Risk of Lawsuit Over Unpaid Loan". The Irrawaddy. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
"Bus Company Owned by Ex-Dictator Ne Win's Grandsons at Risk of Lawsuit Over Unpaid Loan". The Irrawaddy. 8 March 2019.
"AYA Bank to sue debtors for funds used to run YBS bus lines". The Myanmar Times.
"Recent Arrest List" (PDF). Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. 4 February 2021.
"Myanmar opposition frustrated by prisoner amnesty".

Political offices
Preceded by Myint Swe	Chief Minister of Yangon Region 2016–present	Incumbent

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[auto-1] "From prison to parliament".

[auto1-2] Aye Thidar Kyaw. "Central Bank official responds to NLD's call for greater autonomy".

[france24.com-3] "Asia-pacific – A new Burmese MP's cautious optimism". France 24.

[auto2-4] "ကိုယ်ရေးအကျဉ်း" (Press release). Yangon: National League for Democracy. August 2015.

[5] Myat Nyein Aye, Ye Mon (1 April 2016). "NLD massively scales back water festival stages". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.

[6] Myat Nyein Aye. "Thingyan scaled back in Yangon". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.

[7] Toe Wai Aung and Ashok Manandhar. "Yangon police crackdown widens".

[8] "Yangon Police Take the 'Night' out of 'Nightlife'". The Irrawaddy.

[9] "New Chief Minister sets out to modernise Yangon".

[10] "Lawmaker and Real Estate Developer Condemns Suspended High-Rise Construction". 27 July 2016.

[11] "Lawmakers Call For Review of Yangon's New Bus System". 6 April 2017.

[12] "YBS Review Proposal Approved, Following Heated Parliamentary Debate". 27 April 2017.

[13] "Chief Minister Absent as Yangon Parliament Discusses YBS Shortcomings". 25 April 2017.

[14] "Bus Company Owned by Ex-Dictator Ne Win's Grandsons at Risk of Lawsuit Over Unpaid Loan". The Irrawaddy. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2021-02-05.

[15] "Bus Company Owned by Ex-Dictator Ne Win's Grandsons at Risk of Lawsuit Over Unpaid Loan". The Irrawaddy. 8 March 2019.

[16] "AYA Bank to sue debtors for funds used to run YBS bus lines". The Myanmar Times.

[17] "Recent Arrest List" (PDF). Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. 4 February 2021.

[18] "Myanmar opposition frustrated by prisoner amnesty".