Henry Van Thio
Henry Van Thio | |
|---|---|
ဟင်နရီဗန်ထီးယူ | |
| Second Vice President of Myanmar | |
| Assumed office 30 March 2016 | |
| President | Htin Kyaw |
| Preceded by | Nyan Tun |
| Amyotha Hluttaw MP for Chin State № 3 constituency | |
| In office 3 February 2016 – 30 March 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1958 Htantlang Township, Burma (Myanmar) |
| Political party | National League for Democracy |
| Spouse | Shwe Lwan |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Mandalay University Rangoon Arts and Science University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Myanmar |
| Branch/service | Myanmar Army |
| Rank |  Major |
Template:Contains Burmese text Henry Van Thio (Burmese: ဟင်နရီဗန်ထီးယူ; born 9 August 1958) is a Burmese politician who has been Second Vice President of Myanmar (Burma) since 2016. He previously served as an Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) MP. In the 2015 election, he contested and won the Chin State № 3 constituency for a seat in the country's upper house.[1][2][3] He was sworn in as the Second Vice President on 30 March 2016.
Early life and military career
He is an ethnic Chin and graduated from Rangoon Arts and Science University. He previously served as a Major in the Burmese Army.[4]
Vice Presidency
On 10 March 2016, he was nominated as one of the Vice Presidents of Myanmar by National League for Democracy.[5][6]
On 11 March 2016, 148 MPs nominated him as one of the Vice Presidents of Myanmar from the House of Nationalities and on 15 March 2016, he received 79 votes out of 352 in the Assembly of the Union, becoming the Second Vice President of Myanmar. He was sworn in on 30 March 2016.
Personal life
He is married to Shwe Lwan (known as Anna Sui in English speaking countries) and has three children. When his wife gained a scholarship to study theology at the University of Otago, the family moved to New Zealand to live in the Dunedin suburb of North East Valley in 2011. He supported the family through casual work, like picking fruit in Nelson and shift work at the freezing works at Finegand, near Balclutha. The family returned to Myanmar in early 2015.[7]
He is a devout Christian, making him the first non-Buddhist to hold the office of the Vice President of Myanmar. His faith has been the subject of controversy as after his appointment nationalist monks protested saying that only Buddhists should hold political positions. He is a member of the United Pentecostal Church International[8][9]
References
- ^ "Myanmar begins presidential selection as Aung San Suu Kyi ruled out". BBC News.
- ^ Ei Ei Toe Lwin. "NLD names U Htin Kyaw for president".
- ^ "National Parliament - Beta".
- ^ "NLD in Pu Henry Van Thio vice president ah thun". VCTH.
- ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi aide nominated as Myanmar president".
- ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi will not be president of Myanmar, parliament confirms". the Guardian.
- ^ McNeilly, Hamish (2 April 2016). "From Dunedin flat to vice-president's palace for former freezing worker". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Aung Kyaw Min (5 April 2016). "Nationalists rally against both vice presidents". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Aung Kyaw Min (21 March 2016). "Ignore anti-VP campaign, urges Christian group". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.