Senior NLD Member is Noticeably Absent from Monthly Meeting

By Htet Naing Zaw 29 January 2018

NAYPYITAW — U Win Htein, who is on a vacation in Australia, remains a central executive committee member of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), said U Nyan Win, chairman of the NLD information team after the NLD CEC monthly meeting in Naypyitaw on Sunday.

“U Win Htein remains a CEC member. He did not report to us about his travel. I don’t know if he reported to someone else. Only he knows what role he is in. We don’t know. Today, as you see, he is absent, and we didn’t discuss him,” U Nyan Win told reporters.

U Win Htein traveled to Australia on Jan. 14 for a vacation following the lavish wedding celebration of his son, Hsan Win Htein, in early January, which was negatively compared by some netizens with the famously opulent 2006 marriage of the daughter of then military dictator Than Shwe.

Rumors circulated on social media that the party had suspended him from his duties, and even that he had resigned.

“We didn’t discuss U Win Htein. It was not on the agenda. He remains a CEC member,” said U Tun Tun Hein, a CEC member of the NLD.

Except for former Irrawaddy Region chief minister U Mahn Johnny, who applied for leave, all of the CEC members including U Win Myint, U Nyan Win, U Phyo Min Thein, Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, U Hantha Myint, U Ohn Kyaing, Dr. Myo Nyunt, Daw May Win Myint, Dr. Zaw Myint, U Nyi Pu and U Aung Soe were present at the meeting.

The major decision reached at the meeting was “to work harder” within the party, said U Nyan Win.

“We have received complaints against more than 100 party members. We discussed whether we need to investigate those complaints or not, and if so, how we should proceed,” said U Nyan Win.

There are complaints against state and region chief ministers, ministers, and lawmakers, but not Union-level ministers, he said, adding that a further cabinet reshuffle is unlikely in the immediate future.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.