Htin Kyaw | |
|---|---|
ထင်ကျော် | |
 Htin Kyaw in 2016 | |
| President of Myanmar | |
| In office 30 March 2016 – 21 March 2018 | |
| State Counsellor | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Vice President | Myint Swe Henry Van Thio |
| Preceded by | Thein Sein |
| Succeeded by | Win Myint |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-07-20)20 July 1946 (age 78) Rangoon,British Burma(nowYangon,Myanmar) |
| Political party | National League for Democracy |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Min Thu Wun(father) Kyi Kyi(mother) |
| Alma mater | Yangon Institute of Economics University of London Hult International Business School |
| Website | Government website |
Htin Kyaw (Burmese:ထင်ကျော်,pronounced[tʰɪ̀ɴtɕɔ̀] or[tʰɪ̀ɴdʑɔ̀]; born 20 July 1946) is a Burmese politician, writer and scholar who served aspresident of Myanmar from 30 March 2016 to 21 March 2018. He was the first elected president to hold the office with no ties to the military since the1962 coup d'état. The second son of scholarMin Thu Wun, Htin Kyaw had held various positions in the education, planning and treasury ministries in prior governments.
The ethnicMon-Bamar politician is viewed as an important ally of theNational League for Democracy leader andState CounsellorAung San Suu Kyi, who isconstitutionally barred from the presidency.
Htin Kyaw was born inRangoon,British Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), to the late Burmese scholar and poetMin Thu Wun and Kyi Kyi.[1][2] His father was of Mon descent. His childhood name given by his father wasDala Ban, a royal name of ancientMon commanders. (He later used it as his pen name).
Htin Kyaw completed hishigh school education at theEnglish Methodist High School in 1962. He enrolled at theRangoon Institute of Economics (then part ofRangoon Arts and Science University) and graduated with anM.Econ. instatistics in 1968. He started working as a tutor while studying towards his master's degree.[3] He then moved to the University Computer Centre as aprogrammer/system analyst in 1970.
Htin Kyaw pursued further studies on a scholarship to theInstitute of Computer Science,University of London in 1971–1972 and attended computer studies in Asia Electronics Union,Tokyo in 1974. He completed his second master's degree in 1975.[1][4] He attended theHult International Business School (then known as the Arthur D. Little School of Management), inCambridge, Massachusetts, in 1987.[5][6]
In 1975, Htin Kyaw joined theMinistry of Industry 2 as a Deputy Division Chief.[7] In 1980, he was appointed as a deputy director in the Foreign Economic Relations Department, Ministry of Planning and Finance, and resigned from government service in 1992.[1]
He was arrested on 22 September 2000, and spent four months inInsein prison for assisting Aung San Suu Kyi's trip outsideYangon.[8] From 2012, he worked as a senior executive forDaw Khin Kyi Foundation, founded by Aung San Suu Kyi and named after her motherKhin Kyi. Though not a veteran member of the NLD, Kyaw worked very closely with Aung San Suu Kyi at the Office of NLD Chairperson.
He was mentioned as a possible presidential pick after the NLD won a sweeping victory in the2015 general election. Aung San Suu Kyi wasconstitutionally barred from the presidency, since her late husband and both of her children are British citizens; the constitution does not allow a president, his parents, his spouse, or his children to "owe allegiance to a foreign power." Upon his nomination, Aung San Suu Kyi said she had chosen him for his truthfulness, loyalty and respectable education.[9][10][11]
On 10 March 2016, he was nominated as one of theVice Presidents of Myanmar by theNLD for theHouse of Representatives (Lower House). On 11 March 2016, 274 MPs out of 317 (during Elected MPs assembly) voted him as one of the vice presidents. On 15 March 2016, 360 MPs out of 652 of theAssembly of the Union (Union Parliament) voted him as the president, ahead ofMyint Swe and his party colleagueHenry Van Thio.[12][13]
On 17 March 2016, Htin Kyaw proposed a cabinet of 21 ministries.[citation needed] On 21 March 2016, he delivered a speech in the Assembly of the Union for the first time regarding the proposal of the formation of ministries and the MPs of the Union Parliament approved it.[14]
On 30 March 2016, Htin Kyaw was sworn in as President of Myanmar, becoming the first president sinceU Nu's overthrow in 1962 to have no ties to the military. Despite Htin Kyaw being a nominally independent leader, Aung San Suu Kyi said that she would in fact direct the actions of the president and lead the country through him. It was thought before the elections that Aung San Suu Kyi would "be above the president” and make all key decisions.[15] Indeed, the post ofState Counsellor–equivalent to a prime minister–was created for her.
On 21 March 2018, amid speculations of ill health, it was suddenly announced that Htin Kyaw had resigned from his position as president, citing health issues and the 'need for rest'. Myint Swe, first vice president of Myanmar, succeeded Htin Kyaw as president under the constitution of Myanmar, which also called for a new president to be selected by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw within seven days of Htin Kyaw's resignation.[citation needed]
On 14 February 2025, a court in Argentina, acting on a petition from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK and citing the principle ofuniversal jurisdiction, issued arrest warrants against Htin Kyaw and other incumbent and former officials in Myanmar on charges of "genocide and crimes against humanity" against theRohingyas during Htin Kyaw's presidency.[16]
Htin Kyaw has been married toSu Su Lwin since 1973; she is the incumbentHouse of RepresentativesMP forThongwa Township and a member of the International Relations Committee of theHouse of Representatives. The couple have no children.[17]
His father was the writer, poet and scholarMin Thu Wun, who won a seat in the1990 election. His father-in-law,U Lwin, was a co-founder of theNational League for Democracy.[1][9] He also acted as the secretary of the party from 1995 to 2010.
Htin Kyaw writes under the pen nameDala Ban, a prominent title of ancientMon commanders. He wrote a biographical book about his fatherMin Thu Wun:The Father’s Life: Glimpses of my Father (Aba Bawa Aba Akyaung Tase Tasaung).[1] He also wrote various articles about his family life with his father in weekly journals.
Htin Kyaw went to Bangkok in September 2017 to have medical examinations taken and to be given necessary treatment. There has been speculations about his ill health among people but they were denied by officials. He departed to Singapore on 23 January 2018 to have a medical check-up.[18]
Media related toHtin Kyaw at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Myanmar 2016–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Union of Burma (1948–1962) |  | |
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| Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1962–1988) | ||
| Union of Burma / Myanmar (1988–2011) | ||
| Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2011–present) | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
