Myint Thein

Who was Myint Thein?

Myint Thein was a Burmese pro-democracy activist and spokesman for the National League for Democracy, the political party of Aung San Suu Kyi. He regularly met with journalists, usually in secret, both inside and outside Myanmar, in order to draw international attention to the pro-democracy struggle against the military government of the country.

Myint Thein first became active in Burma's in 1988. During that same year, thousands of Burmese civilians were killed by the military during a pro-democracy uprising against the government. He also became active in politics. He was first elected as a MP in 1990 in Kyaikmaraw Township, a constituency in the country's Mon State, which is heavily populated by Burma's Mon people. He became a leading party official in Mon State's National League for Democracy following the Burmese general election of 1990 in which Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD took the majority of the seats in the Burmese parliament. The results were ignored by the Burmese generals who overturned the election and imprisoned NLD members.

Myint Thein remained a close ally of the NLD's imprisoned leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. He was appointed the party spokesperson in 2004.