Pe Myint ( ; born 15 December 1949) is a Burmese politician, writer and a former Minister for Information 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 ...

(Burma).

Early life and education

Pe Myint was born on 15 December 1949 in Sandoway, Burma (now Thandwe, Myanmar) to Aung Nyein and Khin Thein. He is of Rakhine descent.

Career

Pe Myint graduated from Thandwe State High School in

Rakhine State Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...

in 1966 and Institute of Medicine 1, Rangoon in 1975. He worked as a physician until 1988. He received training as a journalist at the Indochina Media Memorial Foundation in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. He previously served as the vice chairperson of the

Myanmar Press Council The Myanmar Press Council (; abbreviated MPC; formerly the Myanmar Core Press Council) is a media adjudication body which investigates and settles press disputes, compiles journalism ethics, and protects media personnel in Burma's media landscape. ...

, editor-in-chief of ''The People's Age Journal'', editor of ''Sarpaylawka Book House'' and ''Myanmar Book Publishing House''. On 22 March 2016, he was nominated to be Minister for Information in President

Htin Kyaw Htin Kyaw (, or ; born 20 July 1946) is a Burmese politician, writer and scholar who served as president 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 ...

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. On 24 March, the

Assembly of the Union The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw ( , ) is the ''de jure'' national-level bicameral legislature of Myanmar established by the 2008 National Constitution. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is made up of two houses, the 224-seat Amyotha Hluttaw, or "House of Natio ...

confirmed his nomination. Following the military-led

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 ...

, the

Myanmar Armed Forces The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services includ ...

appointed Chit Hlaing as Pe Myint's successor on 1 February 2021.

Literary works

Pe Myint is a well-known writer and won

Myanmar National Literature Award Myanmar National Literature Awards () are awards presented to a Burmese author who has published a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a ...

in 1995. He has published over forty books of fiction, non-fiction, and translated works. Some of his original and translated works include *1975 — ''The Hospital'' (original by

Arthur Hailey Arthur Frederick Hailey, AE (5 April 1920 – 24 November 2004) was a British/Canadian novelist whose plot-driven storylines were set against the backdrops of various industries. His books, which include such best sellers as ''Hotel'' (1965), ...

, ''The Final Diagnosis'') *1977 — ''Ward No. 6'' (original by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

, ''

Ward No. 6 "Ward No. 6" () is an 1892 novella by Anton Chekhov. Publication The story was first published in the No.11, November 1892 issue of '' Russkaya Mysl''. Divided into chapters and with minor edits it was included into the 1893 collection called '' ...

'') *1988 — ''First Love'' (original by

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...

, '' First Love'') *1993 — ''On Death and Other Short Stories'' *1993 — ''Normal Mind and Normal Behaviour (A Collection of Articles on Applied Psychology)'' *1995 — ''Parts for Sale and Other Short Stories'' (won

) *1997 — ''The Richest Man in Babylon'' (original by George Samuel Clason, '' The Richest Man in Babylon'')

Personal life

He is married to Khaing Nwe Oo, a book publisher, and has two children, Pe Zaw Oo and Cho Su Su Khaing.

References

{{authority control Government ministers of Myanmar Living people 1949 births Burmese journalists Burmese writers People from Rakhine State 20th-century Burmese physicians University of Medicine 1, Yangon alumni Rakhine people