Myanmar’s current President, Thein Stein, has been in office since March 2011. He is Burma’s first civilian president since the country’s military dictatorship ended, and he is noted for his attempts to bring democracy to the country. When he came to office as a center-right reformist, he implemented a number of political reforms, including some deregulation of the country’s formerly restricted media. He also achieved notoriety for releasing almost 6,300 political prisoners who had been imprisoned under the military government. Sein had been a prominent political figure in Burma for many years before becoming president, and he had also served as Prime Minister for one term. He grew up in a poor peasant family and had a difficult upbringing. His parents, on the other hand, instilled in him the virtues of tenacity and hard work, as well as ensuring that Thein had an excellent education. He joined the military after finishing his studies and advanced progressively through the ranks during the course of his four-decade service. Later in life, he entered politics and was appointed acting Prime Minister when incumbent Prime Minister Soe Win became unwell, and he later succeeded him after his death. After successfully running for president, he founded his own political party and went on to form the country’s first civilian government in nearly 50 years.
Childhood and Adolescence
On April 20, 1945, he was born in Kyonku, a tiny village in British Burma (now Myanmar). His father, Maung Phyo, and mother, Khin Nyunt, were landless farmers, and his family was poor. He has two older brothers and sisters.
Despite their poverty, his parents instilled in him a desire to learn and instilled in him the value of hard work and persistence.
His father wove bamboo mats and worked on the riverbank docks as he grew up, while his mother supplemented the family’s limited income by working in a tea shop. Sein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the elite Defence Services Academy in 1968.
Career of Thein Sein
Soon after graduation, he was promoted to second lieutenant and continued to rise through the ranks. He was a major in the 55th Light Infantry Division of the Sagaing Division in 1988 and afterwards a commander in the 89th Infantry Battalion of the Sagaing Division in Kalay Township.
He graduated from the Command and General Staff College in Kalaw, Shan State, in 1989 and went on to command several army units across the country in the years that followed.
In the War Office, he was appointed to colonel and 1st Grade General Staff Officer, a position he held from 1992 until 1995. Following that, he was elevated to Brigadier General while still working at the War Office, making him the first Brigadier General to be promoted to General Staff Officer.
He was named to oversee the new Triangle Regional Military Command in Kyaingtong, Shan State, in 1996, and stayed in that position for four years, from 1997 to 2001. Then he returned to the War Office as the army’s adjutant general. He became a member of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Myanmar’s ruling military regime at the time.
By 2003, he was the SPDC’s second secretary, and the following year, he was promoted to first secretary.
When incumbent Prime Minister Soe Win was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, he was named acting Prime Minister. He was later legally elected as Win’s successor.
Soe Win died on October 12, 2007, and Thein Sein took over as Prime Minister a few days later, on October 24, 2007. He was raised to the rank of General from Lieutenant General after becoming Prime Minister. He conducted high-level negotiations with Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia as Prime Minister. In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, he also served as head of the National Tragedy Preparedness Central Committee, albeit he was chastised for the inefficiency of relief efforts—the administration managed the relief efforts poorly, and 138,000 people died as a result of the disaster.
In 2010, Thein Sein, along with 22 other military officials, resigned from the military to lead the Union Solidarity and Development Party as a civilian candidate in multiparty parliamentary elections in November. His party dominated the elections, winning a landslide victory in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Myanmar Parliament). He ran against National Unity Party candidate Kyaw Aye in the election and received a whopping 91.2 percent of the vote.
He was chosen president of Myanmar by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s Presidential Electoral College in February 2011 and sworn in alongside the two vice presidents, Tin Aung Myint Oo and Sai Mauk Kham, on March 30, 2011, becoming the country’s first non-interim civilian president in 49 years.
Several political and social reforms have been enacted during his presidency. Press restrictions have been removed, political prisoners have been released, and several pro-democratic changes have been implemented. He has become a well-known state leader not just in East Asia, but around the world, as a result of his progressive reforms.
Major Projects of Thein Sein
After inheriting the presidency, he has treaded carefully on the path of political reform. Hundreds of convicts, including political detainees, have been released, and his government has entered into peace agreements with ethnic minority groups and loosened media censorship.
Personal History and Legacy
He is married to Khin Khin Win and has three daughters with her.
Estimated Net Worth
Thein is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most well-known. Thein Sein’s net worth is estimated to be at $64 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.