Dr. Sein Win re-elected PM of government in exile

http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/1599-dr-sein-win-re-elected-pm-of-government-in-exile.html

by Phanida
Sunday, 25 January 2009 18:12

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Dr. Sein Win has been re-elected the Prime Minister of the Burmese government in exile for another term in a routine MPU meeting.

The meeting of the 'Members of Parliament Union' had in attendance MPs in exile. The meeting was held in Dublin, Ireland over four days starting from 20 January. The meeting was attended by over 30 MPs in exile who elected the PM through secret ballot.

In the new seven-member cabinet, three new ministers were inducted along with existing ministers Bo Hla Tint, Dr. Tint Swe and Khun Mar Ko Ban. The three new ministers are Khun Myint Tun (Thaton constituency), Win Hlaing (Tatkon constituency) and Tun Win (Minbya constituency).


Mathematics Professor Dr. Sein Win (64) is the cousin brother of detained Nobel peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and he received his doctoral degree from Germany. His father U Ba Win is a martyr assassinated along with his younger brother Independence hero Bogyoke Aung San.

The Washington D.C. US based NCGUB was formed in 1990 with elected MPs in exile on the Thai-Burma border and Dr. Sein Win has been successively elected as Prime Minister since then.

In the Dublin MPU meeting, the 'credential challenge' issued, aiming to unseat the Burmese junta from the UN General Assembly as representative of the Burmese people, was rejected by MPs attending the congress. The exiled umbrella organization of the 'National Council of Union of Burma' (NCUB) is trying to unseat the Burmese junta from the UN as representative of the nation on the grounds of legitimacy.

The statement issued by NCUB on January 1 this year says it will form another parallel government in exile which stirred a hornet's nest in the exiled pro-democracy forces and triggered a heated debate among them.

The Burmese junta refused to recognize the 1990 general election results and hand over power to the elected parliament and said that the newly elected MPs were only responsible for the drafting of the new constitution, not to exercise State power. Then the junta drafted its constitution with their hand-picked representatives which is not accepted by the majority of the elected MPs.