MANDALAY—Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung has returned from Bangkok after receiving cancer treatment and will resume his duties after spending 21 days in quarantine in line with COVID-19 guidelines, regional Electricity, Energy and Construction Minister U Zar Ni Aung said.
“The chief minister is under 21-day quarantine at his home. He will be able to return to office after that. Though he has lost some weight, his health is good,” said U Zar Ni Aung, who has served as acting chief minister in Dr. Zaw Myint Maung’s absence.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who is also vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), has been battling leukemia since October last year, requiring frequent trips to Bangkok for treatment.
He returned from his last trip to Bangkok on May 21, and is currently under quarantine at his home in Mandalay. He was tested for coronavirus and the result was negative, according to the Mandalay regional government.
“Though he has had to travel between Myanmar and Thailand for medical treatment, he has continued to advise Mandalay regional government [officials] online,” U Zar Ni Aung said.
In an interview with private TV station SkyNet on May 23, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said, “As I have returned after treatment, I will fulfill my duties to the people and the party to the best of my ability as long as I am healthy.”
“I am vulnerable to infection. Doctors said I am OK with those who are [regularly] in close contact with me, but I need to be very careful with strangers. So, I will need to do some work via videoconferencing,” he added.
The chief minister will have to travel to Bangkok for another medical check-up in six months, his wife Daw Yu Yu May wrote on her Facebook account on May 22.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung was elected to Parliament in the 1990 general election, but the military annulled the results of that vote. In the 2012 by-election, he was elected again and assumed his seat in the Lower House representing Mandalay’s Kyaukpadaung Township. In the 2015 election, he was elected to the Mandalay regional parliament representing Amarapura Township and was subsequently appointed head of the Mandalay regional government.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung is a Mandalay native; his wife and three children are all doctors.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
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