‘Prison made me mature’: meet Suu Kyi’s man in Yangon
Myanmar’s biggest city presents Phyo Min Thein with transport woes, entrenched opposition and a restive population
Yangon dominates Myanmar. Whilst Naypyidaw, 320km to the north, has been the capital for the past 11 years, this vibrant port city with its traffic-clogged streets, fading colonial splendour and the serene beauty of the Shwedagon Pagoda continues to enthral the nation.
As Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) mark their first year in power, it’s becoming clear that the dynamic business hub will hold the key to any future success.
With a population of 7.36 million (the Yangon region extends beyond the city proper) and almost a quarter of the nation’s GDP, political and economic reforms have to work in the city if they are to take root across the nation of 52 million.
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As chief minister in the city, Phyo Min Thein is the NLD’s “man in Yangon”.
Much like Suu Kyi, the nation’s de facto leader, Phyo Min Thein was a political prisoner, having served 15 years behind bars.
He’s fast getting a reputation as an astute political player. A former physics student and activist at the University of Yangon, Phyo Min Thein was jailed in 1991, after the 1988 uprising against the country’s military junta.
