Myanmar’s next vice president could be a Chin Christian
Henry Van Thio, 57, is of Chin ethnicity, the group is 90% Christian. If elected, he will be the first representative of the ethnic minority to hold the office. Observers: "A sign of Aung San Suu Kyi’s aim to create an inclusive government."
Naypyidaw (AsiaNews) - Myanmar’s next vice president could be a Christian. Henry Van Thio, 57, was named yesterday as presidential candidate of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to the upper house, but in all likelihood the nomination will be won by Htin Kyaw, candidate for the lower house and faithful supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi. Even losing against party colleague, Van Thio can aspire to the position of vice president, and – if successful - would be the first ethnic Chin (90% Christian) to obtain it in the history of Myanmar.
In the coming days Myanmar’s upper and lower house of parliament are called to choose their presidential candidate, among those proposed by the NLD and other political parties. The two candidates elected - probably those of the NLD, which has a majority - will enter a second phase, to compete with a candidate chosen by the military junta. The two who lose then battle it out for the position of vice president.
A member of the Pentecostal Church, Henry Van Thio comes from Chin State, one of the poorest of Myanmar, on the western border with India. Father of three children, he was a chin army captain for 20 years and then worked in the Ministry of Industry for almost 10 years. His possible appointment as president is seen by many observers as a sign of the will of Aung San Suu Kyi to form an inclusive government, which also represents the many ethnic minorities in the area (which are about a third of the population) and are continuously struggling with the central government.
Shay Ray Shu Maung, a Catholic and upper house Member of Parliament from the National League for Democracy in Kayah state, said it was unexpected and surprising that an ethnic Chin lawmaker was nominated as a vice presidential candidate."We are very glad that a minority ethnic is nominated as a vice presidential candidate and it is part of the party's national reconciliation efforts with ethnics”.
In a press conference, Henry Van Thio said he had received the nomination "four or five days ago" from Aung San Suu Kyi: "It was very exciting - he said - because I was not expecting it. My intention was to expose the needs of my region in parliament. Our Chin State is very underdeveloped in comparison to other regions. "
"As an ethnic representative - continued Van Thio - I want to strive to build peace in all ethnic regions. The main thing to do in Chin State is to improve the transportation infrastructure. My view is that Aunty Suu (Kyi) is bringing all the ethnic groups on board”.
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15/03/2016 09:46
17/03/2021 13:08
