Than Nyein (; 5 August 1937 – 21 May 2014) was a Burmese politician and physician. He was one of the founders of the

National Democratic Force The National Democratic Force (NDF) is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). It was founded by former members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who disagreed with the party leadership's decision to boycott the 2010 general election. ...

(NDF) party, after working for 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 ...

(NLD) since its inception in 1988.

Early life and career

Than Nyein was born in Khanaung east village,

Kyauktan Township Kyauktan Township ( ) is a township of Yangon Region, located in the southern section of the region. Prominent People from Kyauktan Township *Dr. Than Nyein (Politician), Than Nyein (5 August 1936 – 21 May 2014), founder of National Democrati ...

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

on 5 August 1937. He graduated from Institute of Medicine, Yangon in 1963 after passing high school in 1954. He worked for the Ministry of Health as a leader in the leprosy prevention group and as a township medical officer. He also served for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

from 1984 to 1986.

Political imprisonment

He was forced to retire from government posts for his involvement in 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 ...

. He was arrested following an attempt by the

(NLD) to hold a meeting with

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

and NLD youth in Mayangone Township 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 ...

. His medical licence was revoked and sentenced to 7 years in prison for participating in youth organization activities in October 1997. He was released in 2008 after his prison term was repeatedly extended by the

military regime A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a strongman, or by a council of mi ...

Political career

He joined the National League for Democracy since its founding of the party. He was elected as a ''

Hluttaw 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 Nation ...

'' member for

in the 1990 election. He served in various positions in the NLD and became a member of its Central Executive Committee in 2009. He disagreed with party secretary general Aung San Suu Kyi and advocated for major political decision that not to boycott

2010 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2010. * 2010 United Nations Security Council election * 2010 national electoral calendar * 2010 local electoral calendar Africa * 2010 Burkinabé presidential election * 2010 Burundian Senate election * ...

. He, together with

Khin Maung Swe Khin Maung Swe () is a Burmese politician and former member of Myanmar's State Administration Council, from 2021 to 2023. He is the chairman of the National Democratic Force (NDF). Early life and education Khin Maung Swe was born on 20 July 1 ...

founded National Democratic Force Party in June 2010. He did not run for election and only four candidates from the NDF were elected as

members in the 2010 election. He was the brother-in-law of

Khin Nyunt Khin Nyunt (; ; born 23 October 1939) is a retired Burmese army general widely recognized for his influential role in shaping Myanmar's political dynamics. Serving as the Chief of Intelligence and Prime Minister of Myanmar from 25 August 2003 ...

, then chief of military intelligence and

Prime Minister of Myanmar The prime minister of Myanmar () is the head of government of Myanmar. The post was re-established in 2021 by the State Administration Council (SAC), the country's ruling military junta, to lead its nominally-civilian Provisional Government of ...

from 2003 to 2004.

Death

He died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

at the age of 76 at Pinlon Hospital of Yangon on 21 May 2014.

References

{{Authority control Burmese politicians 1937 births 2014 deaths Burmese prisoners and detainees People from Yangon Region Prisoners and detainees of Myanmar Burmese democracy activists University of Medicine 1, Yangon alumni Deaths from liver cancer in Myanmar