Trichome

T Khun Myat
တီခွန်မြတ်
4th Speaker of the Assembly of the Union
Assumed office
1 August 2018
DeputyTun Tun Hein
Preceded byMahn Win Khine Than
3rd Speaker of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
22 March 2018
DeputyTun Tun Hein
Preceded byWin Myint
2nd Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
1 February 2016 – 22 March 2018
Preceded byNanda Kyaw Swa
Succeeded byTun Tun Hein
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
31 January 2011 – 31 January 2021
Preceded byConstituency established
ConstituencyKutkai Township
Leader of People’s Militia Forces in Kutkai Township
In office
1990–2010
Director of Office of the Attorney General
In office
1990–2010
Personal details
Born (1949-10-30) 30 October 1949 (age 74)
NationalityMyanmar
Political partyIndependent (2016–present) , Union Solidarity and Development Party (2010–2016)
SpouseYin May
Parent(s)T Khun Gaung, Phaw Jan Htu
ResidenceKutkai Township
OccupationLawyer, civil servant, militia leader, politician

Tang Bao Khun Myat , known as T Khun Myat (Burmese: တီခွန်မြတ် [tiː kʰʊ̀ɴ mjaʔ]; born 30 October 1949) is a Burmese politician, lawyer and civil servant of an ethic Kachin. He is the Speaker of the Assembly of Union; the bicameral joint parliament of Myanmar since 1 August 2018 and Speaker of the House of Representatives; the lower house of the Assembly of the Union since 22 March 2018. In both 2010 election and 2015 election, he contested and won the Kutkai Township constituency for a seat in the country's lower house.[1][2]

After the February 2021 coup by the military, according to Article (424) of the Constitution and Article (17) of the Pyithu Hluttaw Law, T Khun Myat continues to serve as the Speaker of Assembly of the Union and Speaker of the House of Representatives.[3]

Background

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T Khun Myat is an ethnic Kachin and a descendant of a prominent Kachin traditional ruling Duwa family, the "T" at the beginning of his name comes from his family clan name Tangbau.[1] He is a Christian.

Career

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T Khun Myat served as the legal director at the Office of the Attorney General as well as the leader of People's Militia Forces in Kutkai Township under the control of Burmese Army between 1990 and 2010. He was involved in the commission drafting the constitution in 2007 and the commission of 2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum. He also served as the executive member of Union Solidarity and Development Party for northern Shan State.[4][2]

He was elected as a member of the Pyithu Hluttaw in the 2010 general elections for the Shan State constituency of Kutkai.

He was also chair of the Committee on Bills in the Lower House (2011–16), a body tasked with drafting new legislation and amending or repealing laws considered out of date.[5][1]

Along with the other allies of Shwe Mann, T Khun Myatt was sacked from the Union Solidarity and Development Party.[6]

Following the resignation of Win Myint as speaker of the House of Representatives, T Khun Myatt was elected by the Pyithu Hluttaw as the next speaker. He was sworn in on 22 March 2018.[7] Although many state- and union-level politicians, including Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint, were placed under house arrest during the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état on 1 February, T Khun Myat remained in his office under the Constitution of Myanmar. He attended the meeting of National Defence and Security Council which was hold on 31 January 2022.That meeting extended the State of Emergency to next (6) months.[8][9]

In January 2023, T Khun Myat was awarded the civilian title of Thiri Pyanchi by the military junta.[10]

Drug controversy

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T Khun Myat was the former leader of a militia in Kutkai Township and accused of involvement in illicit drug trade and money laundering.[11] He had been a shareholder in the now-defunct Myanmar May Flower Bank, which was abolished due to money laundering in the illicit drugs industry. He has denied any accusation of his involvement in the drug trade.[1][12][4][2]

References

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