Phyo Min Thein (; born 13 April 1969) is a

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (horse), a ...

politician and former political prisoner who served as

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Yangon Region Yangon Region (, ; formerly Rangoon Division and Yangon Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in central Myanmar, the region is bordered by Bago Region to the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban to the south, and Ayeyarwady ...

and Yangon Region Parliament from 2016 to 2021. He also served as an MP for

Hlegu Township Hlegu Township (, ) is the only township in Hlegu District () in northern Yangon Region, Myanmar. It is northeast of the city Yangon and is largely rural. The township only has one town: the principal town of Hlegu, which has five urban wards. Th ...

Constituency No. 2. Previously, he was the chairman of

Union Democratic Party The Union Democratic Party (, abbreviated UDP) is a Burmese political party founded in 2008. It was formally registered in May 2010, with headquarters in Bahan Township, Yangon. UDP is contesting the 2010 general election in Burma. UDP's chairman ...

and founder of the People Democracy Party which later merged with Union Democratic Party.

Early life

Phyo Min Thein was born on 13 April 1969 in

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

. He was the youngest of four children born to Khin Tun and Khin Khin Aye. He studied at

Yangon University The University of Yangon (also Yangon University; , ; formerly Rangoon College, University of Rangoon and Rangoon Arts and Sciences University), located in Kamayut Township, Kamayut, Yangon Region, Yangon, is the oldest university in Myanmar's m ...

but did not graduate.

Political career

Early political career

In 1988, Phyo Min Thein was a second year physics major at the Botahtaung campus of

when the

8888 Uprising The 8888 Uprising, also known as the People Power Uprising and the 1988 Uprising, was a series of nationwide protests, marches, and riots in Burma (present-day Myanmar) that peaked in August 1988. Key events occurred on 8 August 1988 and ther ...

began, and he became the secretary of the

Thanlyin Township Thanlyin Township () is a township in Thanlyin District, southeast Yangon Region, Myanmar. The township has only one town- the principal town of Thanlyin, which has seventeen urban wards. The township also has 57 villages grouped into 28 vill ...

All Burma Federation of Student Unions The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) () is a left-wing umbrella organization for student unions in Burma (also Myanmar). It has played a prominent role in the country's political history, particularly in the struggle for independen ...

(ABSFU). During the uprising, he was one of the leaders of the Botahtaung campus and Thanlyin Township anti-government protests. He helped found the

Democratic Party for a New Society The Democratic Party for a New Society (; abbr. DPNS) is a registered political party in Myanmar (Burma), founded in 1988 by Moe Thee Zun, the then Secretary General of the All Burma Students League (ABSL). The party campaigns independently f ...

in 1988. 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. Phyo Min Thein was a chairman of

and also a founder of People Democracy Party which was later merged with Union Democratic Party. He was elected for a parliamentary seat in the lower house (

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 ...

)'s Hlegu constituency in the 2012 by-elections, representing the

National League for Democracy The National League for Democracy (, ; Abbreviation, abbr. NLD; Burmese abbr. ဒီချုပ်) is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victo ...

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 the 2016 Burmese New Year Water Festival pandals in Yangon soon after he took office as Chief Minister was challenged by several people. In May 2016, he ordered a controversial decision to crack down on nightlife in

, which resulted a public backlash. In May 2016, he made hard line decisions to suspend around 70 high-rise construction projects and tightening regulations against drinking establishments. The decision was criticized by real estate developers and some lawmakers. In January 2017, he launched

Yangon Bus Service Yangon Bus Service (YBS) is a bus transport network system which started operations on 16 January 2017, serving Myanmar's former capital city of Yangon. It is operated by the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) until the organisation was abo ...

(YBS) to overhaul the bus network of

. However, YBS amid criticism of being ill-equipped to serve commuters, shortage of buses, the misconduct of bus staff, and constant violations of traffic rules. On 7 April 2017, lawmakers from Yangon Region Parliament called for a transparent review of the YBS. 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. On 8 March 2019, news reports stated Phyo Min Thein's affiliations with

Kyaw Ne Win Kyaw is a town in Gangaw Township, Pakokku District (Gangaw District), in the north-western part of the Magway Region in Myanmar. It lies on the left (eastern) bank of the Kyaw River.Aye Ne Win Aye Ne Win (; born on 15 November 1976) is a Burmese businessman and former political inmate who spent 11 years in prison for a high treason with plotting to overthrow the Senior General Than Shwe' regime in 2002 along with his two brothers and ...

, 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. It was reported that the loan was sought at the Phyo Min Thein's recommendation, and that the local bank was preparing to sue the YBS consortium for violating its payment deadline. In the wake of the 1 February 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Phyo Min Thein and his wife were detained by 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 ...

. The military regime released Phyo Min Thein with a fine of 100,000 MMK ($40 USD) for electoral fraud, in exchange for testifying against Aung San Suu Kyi in a corruption case. On March 3, 2023, Phyo Min Thein and three other central committee members were expelled from the National League for Democracy (NLD) for rejecting the will of the people and NLD policies by supporting the terrorist regime's sham election.

Personal life

Phyo Min Thein married Khin Mi Mi Kywe in 2009. He is a brother-in-law of

Htay Kywe Htay Kywe may refer to: * Htay Kywe (activist) Htay Kywe (, ) is a repeatedly-imprisoned Burmese pro-democracy activist who was considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. BBC News describes him as a key member of the 8888 Ge ...

, a pro-democracy activist and one of the leaders of 8888 Uprising.

References

{{s-end Living people National League for Democracy politicians Prisoners and detainees of Myanmar Government ministers of Myanmar 1969 births Politicians from Yangon Region or state chief ministers of Myanmar