His Excellency
Henry Van Thio
ဟင်နရီဗန်ထီးယူ
3rd Second Vice President of Myanmar
Assumed office
30 March 2016
Serving with Myint Swe
President
See list
Prime MinisterMin Aung Hlaing
State CounsellorAung San Suu Kyi
Preceded byNyan Tun
Amyotha Hluttaw member of parliament
for Chin State № 3 constituency
In office
3 February 2016 – 30 March 2016
Personal details
Born (1958-08-09) 9 August 1958
Thantlang Township, Myanmar
Political partyNational League for Democracy (expelled 2023)
SpouseAnna Sui Hluan
Children3
Alma materMandalay University
Rangoon Arts and Science University
Military service
Allegiance Myanmar
Branch/serviceMyanmar Army
Rank Major

Henry Van Thio (Burmese: ဟင်နရီဗန်ထီးယူ; MLCTS: hang na.ri banhti: yu; born 9 August 1958) is a Burmese politician who is the Second Vice President of Myanmar since 30 March 2016. He previously served as a member of Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities). In the 2015 election, he contested and won the Chin State No. 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 with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Mandalay Arts and Science University, with a Graduate Diploma in Law 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.

Although many state- and union-level politicians, including Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint, were placed under house arrest during the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état on 1 February, Henry Van Thio remained in his office under the Constitution of Myanmar.[7] Since the coup, he has missed several meetings of the National Defence and Security Council, during which the council extended the military junta's rule.[8] In January 2023, he was hospitalised after falling at home.[8]He made his first public appearance at the National Defence and Security Council Meeting on 31 July. On 9 August, NLD party released a press statement, expelling Van Thio from the party.[9]

Personal life

He is married to Anna Shwe Lwan (also spelled Anna Sui Hluan) 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.[10][11]

He is a devout Christian, making him the first non-Buddhist to hold the office of the Vice President of Myanmar. He is a member of the United Pentecostal Church International.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ "Myanmar begins presidential selection as Aung San Suu Kyi ruled out". BBC News.
  2. ↑ Ei Ei Toe Lwin. "NLD names U Htin Kyaw for president".
  3. ↑ "National Parliament – Beta". Archived from the original on 2016-03-11.
  4. ↑ "NLD in Pu Henry Van Thio vice president ah thun". VCTH. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  5. ↑ "Aung San Suu Kyi aide nominated as Myanmar president".
  6. ↑ "Aung San Suu Kyi will not be president of Myanmar, parliament confirms". the Guardian.
  7. ↑ "National Defence and Security Council (1/2022)".
  8. 1 2 "Vice president hospitalised on eve of coup anniversary". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  9. ↑ "Vice President Henry Van Thio dismissed from the party". Myanmar Now. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  10. ↑ McNeilly, Hamish (2 April 2016). "From Dunedin flat to vice-president's palace for former freezing worker". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Munro, Bruce. "A man of peace". Otago Daily Times. Otago Daily Times.
  12. ↑ Aung Kyaw Min (5 April 2016). "Nationalists rally against both vice presidents". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Aung Kyaw Min (21 March 2016). "Ignore anti-VP campaign, urges Christian group". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/man-peace

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