P'doh Mahn Nyein Maung (, born 1947) is a

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding white woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand * House of Karen, a historic ...

politician and former rebel leader. He is currently serving as a member of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

State Administration Council The State Administration Council (; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, February 2021 c ...

. Mahn Nyein Maung was born between 1947 and 1949.

Career

1960s–2020: Activism

After the

1962 Burmese coup d'état The 1962 Burmese coup d'état marked the beginning of one-party rule in Burma (Myanmar) and the political dominance of the military in Burmese politics. In the 2 March 1962 coup, the military replaced the civilian AFPFL-government headed ...

, Mahn Nyein Maung became involved in underground political activism. He was arrested in July 1967 and imprisoned in the

Coco Islands The Coco Islands () are a small group of islands in the northeastern Bay of Bengal. They are part of the Yangon Region of Myanmar since 1937. The islands are located south of the city of Yangon. Coco Island group consists of five islands: four ...

. He escaped in 1970. He was recaptured and imprisoned until April 1973, under a general amnesty. During his time in jail, he became acquainted with Mahn Aung Kyi, the secretary of the All Burma Karen Organization, who would become his political mentor. In 2000, he published a memoir entitled ''Against the Storm, Across the Sea'', describing his prison break from Coco Islands in the 1970s, a feat that earned him the nickname "Burma's Papillon." In December 2011, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for "unlawful association" after being deported by China due to visa issues. In March 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison for participating in acts of war against the ruling government, but was released on 19 March via presidential amnesty. Mahn Nyein Maung became an admirer of

Thein Sein Thein Sein (; IPA: ; born 20 April 1944) is a Burmese politician and retired military general who served as the 9th President of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, and was considered by many ...

, who had pardoned him. Mahn Nyein Maung participated in negotiating the landmark

Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), officially the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organisations (), was a landmark ceasefire agreement between the governmen ...

, which was signed by KNU on 15 October 2015.

2020–present: Entry into politics

He resigned from the central executive committee of the

Karen National Union The Karen National Union (; abbreviated KNU) is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar. It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar and has un ...

in July 2020, in order to contest a

Pyithu Hluttaw The Pyithu Hluttaw (, ; House of Representatives) is the ''de jure'' lower house of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the bicameral legislature of Myanmar (Burma). It consists of 440 members, of which 330 are directly elected through the first-past-the ...

seat in his hometown of Pantanaw,

Ayeyarwady Region Ayeyarwady Region ( , , ; formerly Ayeyarwady Division and Irrawaddy Division) is a region of Myanmar, occupying the delta region of the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River). It is bordered by the Rakhine State to the northwest, the Bago Region to ...

in the

2020 Myanmar general election General elections were held in Myanmar on 8 November 2020. Voting occurred in all constituencies, excluding seats appointed by or reserved for the military, to elect members to both the upper house — the Amyotha Hluttaw (the House of Nation ...

, representing the

Kayin People's Party The Kayin People's Party (; ; Abbreviation, abbreviated KPP) is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). It was formed by retired Kayin government officers to contest the 2010 Myanmar general election, 2010 general elections. It is based in Yangon ...

. He lost the election, placing third, with 8.83% of the votes. Nyunt Thein, representing the National League for Democracy, won the race with 58.01% of the votes. He was appointed as a member of the

on 2 February 2021, in the aftermath of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

. Following his appointment, the KNU distanced itself from Mahn Nyein Maung, and reiterated its opposition to the military coup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahn Nyein Maung People from Ayeyarwady Region 1947 births Living people Burmese Karen people Burmese rebels Members of the State Administration Council Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List Individuals related to Myanmar sanctions