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{{Short description|8th President of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016}}
{{Short description|President of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Family name hatnote|Thein Sein|lang=Burmese}}
{{Family name hatnote|Thein Sein|lang=Burmese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
| honorific_prefix = [[His Excellency]]<br/>[[Agga Maha Thray Sithu]]<br/>[[Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma]]
| name = Thein Sein
| name = Thein Sein
| office = President of Myanmar
| office = President of Myanmar
| order = 8th
| order = 8th
| native_name = သိန်းစိန်
| native_name = {{nobold|သိန်းစိန်}}
| native_name_lang = my
| native_name_lang = my
| image = HE Thein Sein, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (9292476975) (cropped).jpg
| image = HE Thein Sein, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (9292476975) (cropped).jpg
⚫
| caption = Thein Sein in 2013
| predecessor = [[Than Shwe]] {{small|(Chairman of the [[State Peace and Development Council]])}}
| predecessor = [[Than Shwe]] {{small|(Chairman of the [[State Peace and Development Council]])}}
| successor = [[Htin Kyaw]]
| successor = [[Htin Kyaw]]
| vicepresident = [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]]<br />[[Sai Mauk Kham]]<br />[[Nyan Tun]]
| vicepresident = [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]]<br />[[Sai Mauk Kham]]<br />[[Nyan Tun]]
| office2 = First Secretary of the [[State Peace and Development Council]]
| office2 = Secretary 1 of the [[State Peace and Development Council]]
| predecessor2 = [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]]
| predecessor2 = [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]]
| party = [[State Peace and Development Council]] {{small|(Before 2010)}}<br />[[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] {{small|(2010–2016)}}
| office3 = Secretary 2 of the [[State Peace and Development Council]]
| predecessor3 = [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]]
| party = [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] (2010–2016)
| leader1 = [[Than Shwe]]
| leader1 = [[Than Shwe]]
| office1 = [[Prime Minister of Myanmar]]
| office1 = [[Prime Minister of Myanmar]]
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| successor1 = [[Min Aung Hlaing]] (2021)
| successor1 = [[Min Aung Hlaing]] (2021)
| successor2 = [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]]
| successor2 = [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|4|20|df=y}}
| successor3 = [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|4|20|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Ngapudaw Township|Kyounku]], [[State of Burma|Burma]]
| birth_place = [[Ngapudaw Township|Kyounku]], [[State of Burma|Burma]] (now [[Myanmar]])
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
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| children = 3
| children = 3
| alma_mater = [[Defence Services Academy]]
| alma_mater = [[Defence Services Academy]]
⚫
| cabinet = [[Thein Sein's Cabinet]]
| allegiance = {{flag|Myanmar|1974}}
| allegiance = {{flag|Myanmar|1974}}
| branch = {{army|Myanmar}}
| branch = {{army|Myanmar}}
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| term_end = 30 March 2016
| term_end = 30 March 2016
| term_start1 = 12 October 2007
| term_start1 = 12 October 2007
| term_end1 = 30 March 2011<ref>{{cite news |title=Myanmar names prime minister as new president |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/asia-pacific/20110204-myanmar-chooses-former-prime-minister-new-president |access-date=8 February 2023 |work=[[Radio France Internationale]] |date=4 February 2011}}</ref><br />{{small|Acting: April 2007 – 12 October 2007}}
| term_end1 = 7 November 2010<br/>{{small|Acting: April 2007 – 12 October 2007}}
| term_start2 = 19 October 2004
| term_start2 = 19 October 2004
| term_end2 = 12 October 2007
| term_end2 = 12 October 2007
| term_start3 = 25 August 2003
⚫
| office3 = Member of Parliament<br />for [[Zabuthiri Township|Zabuthiri]]
| term_start3 = 7 November 2010
| term_end3 = 19 October 2004
⚫
| office4 = Member of Parliament<br />for [[Zabuthiri Township|Zabuthiri]]
| term_end3 = 30 March 2011
| predecessor3 = Constituency established
| term_start4 = 31 January 2011
| successor3 = [[Sanda Min]]
| term_end4 = 30 March 2011
| majority3 = 65,620 (91.2%)
| predecessor4 = Constituency established
| successor4 = [[Sanda Min]]
⚫
| honorific_prefix = [[His Excellency]]<br/>[[Agga Maha Thray Sithu]]<br/>[[Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma]]
| majority4 = 65,620 (91.2%)
}}
}}
{{Contains special characters|Burmese}}
{{Contains special characters|Burmese}}
'''Thein Sein''' ({{lang-my|သိန်းစိန်}}; [[International Phonetic Alphabet|<small>IPA</small>]]: {{IPA-my|θéɪɰ̃ sèɪɰ̃|}}; born 20 April 1945) is a Burmese former politician and retired general in the [[Myanmar Army]] who served as the eighth [[President of Myanmar]] from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as [[Prime Minister of Myanmar|Prime Minister]] from 2007 to 2011, and was considered by many in and outside Myanmar as a reformist leader in the post-[[Military junta|junta]] government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21899|title=Will Naypyidaw's Olive Branch Bear Fruit?|author=Ba Kaung|date=15 August 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref>
'''Thein Sein''' ({{langx|my|သိန်းစိန်}}; [[International Phonetic Alphabet|<small>IPA</small>]]: {{IPA-my|θéɪɰ̃ sèɪɰ̃|}}; born 20 April 1944) is a Burmese politician and retired military general who served as the 9th [[President of Myanmar]] from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as [[Prime Minister of Myanmar|prime minister]] from 2007 to 2010, and was considered by many in and outside Myanmar as a reformist leader in the post-[[Military junta|junta]] government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21899|title=Will Naypyidaw's Olive Branch Bear Fruit?|author=Ba Kaung|date=15 August 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=21 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821024649/http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21899|url-status=live}}</ref>


His government undertook a series of [[Reforms in Burma|political reforms]] including some deregulation of the country's [[Censorship in Myanmar|censored media]], releasing many political prisoners and halting the country's [[Myitsone Dam|controversial large Chinese-led hydro-power project]]. The developments that followed included Myanmar's appointment to chair [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] in 2014, improved [[Burma–United States relations|relations with the US]], the release of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] &ndash; his [[2015 Myanmar general election|2015 general election]] rival &ndash; from [[house arrest]], and the reinstatement of major opposition party [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD) in the [[2012 Myanmar by-elections|by-election]] held on 1 April 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Research/Region/Asia/201204_kudo.html|title=One Year of Myanmar's Thein Sein Government: Background and Outlook of Reforms|work= KUDO Toshihiro|access-date=13 November 2012}}</ref>
His government undertook a series of [[Reforms in Burma|political reforms]] including some deregulation of the country's [[Censorship in Myanmar|censored media]], releasing many political prisoners and halting the country's [[Myitsone Dam|controversial large Chinese-led hydro-power project]]. The developments that followed included Myanmar's appointment to chair [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] in 2014, improved [[Burma–United States relations|relations with the United States]], the release of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] &ndash; his [[2015 Myanmar general election|2015 general election]] rival &ndash; from [[house arrest]], and the reinstatement of major opposition party [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD) in the [[2012 Myanmar by-elections|by-election]] held on 1 April 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Research/Region/Asia/201204_kudo.html|title=One Year of Myanmar's Thein Sein Government: Background and Outlook of Reforms|work=KUDO Toshihiro|access-date=13 November 2012|archive-date=6 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206012031/http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Research/Region/Asia/201204_kudo.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Thein Sein was born in [[Ngapudaw Township|Kyonku]], a small [[Irrawaddy delta]] village near [[Haigyi Island (town)|Hainggyi Island]] in what is now [[Ngapudaw Township]] to Maung Phyo (father) and Khin Nyunt (mother) in 1945 during the [[Japanese occupation of Burma|Japanese occupation]].<ref name="keller">{{cite news|url=http://keller.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/a-conversation-with-president-u-thein-sein-of-myanmar/|title=A Conversation with President U Thein Sein of Myanmar|last=Keller|first=Bill|date=30 September 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> He was the youngest of three children. His parents were landless farmers, and his father made a living carrying cargo at the river jetty and weaving bamboo mats.<ref name="keller"/><ref name="fuller">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/world/asia/a-most-unlikely-liberator-in-myanmar.html|title=A Most Unlikely Liberator in Myanmar|last=Fuller|first=Thomas|date=14 March 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 March 2012}}</ref> Thein Sein's father Maung Phyo became a [[Buddhist monk]] 10 years after his wife's death, and spent his remaining years as a monk.<ref name="keller"/>
Thein Sein was born in [[Ngapudaw Township|Kyonku]], a small [[Irrawaddy delta]] village near [[Haigyi Island (town)|Hainggyi Island]] in what is now [[Ngapudaw Township]] to Maung Phyo (father) and Khin Nyunt (mother) in 1944 during the [[Japanese occupation of Burma|Japanese occupation]].<ref name="keller">{{cite news|url=http://keller.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/a-conversation-with-president-u-thein-sein-of-myanmar/|title=A Conversation with President U Thein Sein of Myanmar|last=Keller|first=Bill|date=30 September 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 October 2012|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129202833/https://keller.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/a-conversation-with-president-u-thein-sein-of-myanmar/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was the youngest of three children. His parents were landless farmers, and his father made a living carrying cargo at the river jetty and weaving bamboo mats.<ref name="keller"/><ref name="fuller">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/world/asia/a-most-unlikely-liberator-in-myanmar.html|title=A Most Unlikely Liberator in Myanmar|last=Fuller|first=Thomas|date=14 March 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 March 2012|archive-date=15 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315102243/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/world/asia/a-most-unlikely-liberator-in-myanmar.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Thein Sein's father Maung Phyo became a [[Buddhist monk]] 10 years after his wife's death, and spent his remaining years as a [[monk]].<ref name="keller"/>


==Military career==
==Military career==
Thein Sein graduated from the 9th intake of the [[Defence Services Academy]] with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968, becoming a [[second lieutenant]] afterward.<ref name="keller"/><ref name="altsean">{{cite web|url=http://www.altsean.org/Research/Regime%20Watch/Executive/President.php|title=President Thein Sein|work=Alternative Asean Network on Burma|access-date=19 August 2011}}</ref> Throughout Thein Sein's four-decade long military career, he was considered a bureaucrat, not a combat soldier. In 1988, he served as a major for [[Sagaing Region|Sagaing Division]]'s 55th Light Infantry Division and later served as a commander for Sagaing Division's 89th Infantry Battalion in [[Kalaymyo|Kalay Township]]. The following year, he studied at the Command and General Staff College in [[Kalaw]], [[Shan State]].
Thein Sein graduated from the 9th intake of the [[Defence Services Academy]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts degree]] in 1968, becoming a [[second lieutenant]] afterward.<ref name="keller"/><ref name="altsean">{{cite web|url=http://www.altsean.org/Research/Regime%20Watch/Executive/President.php|title=President Thein Sein|work=Alternative Asean Network on Burma|access-date=19 August 2011|archive-date=31 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731003832/http://www.altsean.org/Research/Regime%20Watch/Executive/President.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout Thein Sein's four-decade long military career, he was considered a [[bureaucrat]], not a combat soldier. In 1988, he served as a major for [[Sagaing Region|Sagaing Division]]'s 55th Light Infantry Division and later served as a commander for Sagaing Division's 89th Infantry Battalion in [[Kalaymyo|Kalay Township]]. The following year, he studied at the Command and General Staff College in [[Kalaw]], [[Shan State]].


By 1991, he had returned to [[Yangon]], after being promoted to the rank of colonel and 1st Grade General Staff Officer in the War Office. He was then promoted to brigadier general, but remained at his position in the War Office, which marked the first time a brigadier general was promoted to General Staff Officer. In 1993, he was recruited as the commander of [[Yangon Region|Yangon Division]]'s Military Operations Command 4 in [[Hmawbi Township|Hmawbi]]. Three years later in 1996, he was appointed to lead the new Triangle Regional Military Command in [[Kengtung|Kyaingtong]], [[Shan State]], serving this role for another three years (1998–2001).<ref name="altsean"/>
By 1991, he had returned to [[Yangon]], after being promoted to the rank of [[colonel]] and 1st Grade [[General Staff Officer]] in the War Office. He was then promoted to [[brigadier general]], but remained at his position in the War Office, which marked the first time a [[brigadier general]] was promoted to [[General Staff Officer]]. In 1993, he was recruited as the commander of [[Yangon Region|Yangon Division]]'s Military Operations Command 4 in [[Hmawbi Township|Hmawbi]]. Three years later in 1996, he was appointed to lead the new Triangle Regional Military Command in [[Kengtung|Kyaingtong]], [[Shan State]], serving this role for another three years (1998–2001).<ref name="altsean"/>


In 1998, he became a member of the [[State Peace and Development Council]] and was appointed as Secretary-2 in 2001.<ref name="altsean2">{{cite web|url=http://www.altsean.org/Research/SPDC%20Whos%20Who/SPDC/TheinSein.htm|title=THEIN SEIN profile|work=Alternative Asean Network on Burma|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="mm">{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/no390/n003.htm|title=Lt-Gen Thein Sein is new PM|date=29 October 2007|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref> He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general that year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4837-profiles-of-vice-president-nominees.html|title=Profiles of vice president nominees|author=Tun Tun|date=3 February 2011|work=Mizzma News|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref> After [[Khin Nyunt]] was deposed and [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]] became Prime Minister in 2004, he was promoted to Secretary-1 and promoted to General in late 2004.<ref name="mm"/>
In 1998, he became a member of the [[State Peace and Development Council]] and was appointed as Secretary-2 in 2001.<ref name="altsean2">{{cite web|url=http://www.altsean.org/Research/SPDC%20Whos%20Who/SPDC/TheinSein.htm|title=THEIN SEIN profile|work=Alternative Asean Network on Burma|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=3 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803103730/http://www.altsean.org/Research/SPDC%20Whos%20Who/SPDC/TheinSein.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mm">{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/no390/n003.htm|title=Lt-Gen Thein Sein is new PM|date=29 October 2007|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=25 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525043218/http://www.mmtimes.com/no390/n003.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> He was promoted to the rank of [[lieutenant general]] that year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4837-profiles-of-vice-president-nominees.html|title=Profiles of vice president nominees|author=Tun Tun|date=3 February 2011|work=Mizzma News|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=18 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818101728/http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4837-profiles-of-vice-president-nominees.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After General [[Khin Nyunt]] was deposed and General [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]] became Prime Minister in 2004, he was promoted to Secretary-1 and promoted to [[General]] in late 2004.<ref name="mm"/>


==Prime Minister==
==Prime minister==
[[File:Thein Sein and Abhisit Vejjajiva handshake.jpg|thumb|left|Thein Sein and Thai PM [[Abhisit Vejjajiva]] during a state visit to Naypyidaw in October 2010.]]
[[File:Thein Sein and Abhisit Vejjajiva handshake.jpg|thumb|left|Thein Sein and Thai PM [[Abhisit Vejjajiva]] during a state visit to [[Naypyidaw]] on 11 October 2010.]]
Thein Sein was appointed in April 2007 by the nation's ruling military junta<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rulers.org/rulm2.html#myanmar|title=Countries Me-My|publisher=Rulers.org|access-date=4 February 2011}}</ref> as interim prime minister, replacing [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]], who was undergoing medical treatment for [[leukaemia]].<ref name="Burmese junta">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6669035.stm Burmese junta choose stand-in PM], BBC.co.uk; retrieved 20 May 2007.</ref><ref name="Burmese junta 2">[http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=7115&z=163 Burmese Junta Tips New Prime Minister]; retrieved 20 May 2007.</ref> He was formally appointed as Soe Win's permanent successor on 24 October 2007 after Soe Win's death on 12 October 2007.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080510072829/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/24/content_6939012.htm Myanmar appoints new PM], Xinhua; retrieved 24 October 2007.</ref>
Thein Sein was appointed in April 2007 by the nation's ruling military junta<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rulers.org/rulm2.html#myanmar|title=Countries Me-My|publisher=Rulers.org|access-date=4 February 2011|archive-date=21 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121165033/http://www.rulers.org/rulm2.html#myanmar|url-status=live}}</ref> as interim prime minister, replacing General [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]], who was undergoing medical treatment for [[leukaemia]].<ref name="Burmese junta">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6669035.stm Burmese junta choose stand-in PM] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527104614/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6669035.stm |date=27 May 2007 }}, BBC.co.uk; retrieved 20 May 2007.</ref><ref name="Burmese junta 2">[http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=7115&z=163 Burmese Junta Tips New Prime Minister] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520214005/http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=7115&z=163 |date=20 May 2007 }}; retrieved 20 May 2007.</ref> He was formally appointed as General Soe Win's permanent successor on 24 October 2007 after Soe Win's death on 12 October 2007.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080510072829/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/24/content_6939012.htm Myanmar appoints new PM], Xinhua; retrieved 24 October 2007.</ref>


He held the position of first secretary in the ruling [[State Peace and Development Council]] [[Military dictatorship|junta]]. He was the country's fourth-highest ranking general,<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-president-idUSTRE71021320110201 Myanmar paramount leader not nominated for president: MPs], Reuters; retrieved 1 February 2011.</ref> and also served as the chairman of the government-sponsored National Convention Convening Commission.<ref>[http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs/NCcommittees_meet-2004-04-19.htm Work coordination meeting of National Convention Convening Commission, Work Committee and Management Committee held], The New Light of Myanmar; retrieved 20 April 2004.</ref> Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with [[Bangladesh]] and [[Cambodia]].<ref name="Burmese junta"/><ref name="Burmese junta 2"/>
He held the position of first secretary in the ruling [[State Peace and Development Council]] [[Military dictatorship|junta]]. He was the country's fourth-highest ranking general,<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-president-idUSTRE71021320110201 Myanmar paramount leader not nominated for president: MPs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306065212/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-president-idUSTRE71021320110201 |date=6 March 2020 }}, Reuters; retrieved 1 February 2011.</ref> and also served as the chairman of the government-sponsored [[National Convention (Myanmar)|National Convention]] Convening Commission.<ref>[http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs/NCcommittees_meet-2004-04-19.htm Work coordination meeting of National Convention Convening Commission, Work Committee and Management Committee held] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195307/http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs/NCcommittees_meet-2004-04-19.htm |date=23 September 2015 }}, The New Light of Myanmar; retrieved 20 April 2004.</ref> Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with [[Bangladesh]] and [[Cambodia]].<ref name="Burmese junta"/><ref name="Burmese junta 2"/>


In 2007, sometime after his official appointment as prime minister, he was promoted to the rank of general from lieutenant general.<ref name="Myanmar PM">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111150210/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/07/content_7026130.htm Myanmar PM to visit Laos, Vietnam], Xinhua. Retrieved 7 November 2007.</ref> On his first official visit outside Myanmar as prime minister, Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with [[Laos]], Vietnam and Cambodia.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Burmas-PM-visits-Vietnam/2007/11/09/1194329510113.html Burma's PM visits Vietnam], Associated Press via The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071112140935/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/09/content_7040876.htm Laos, Myanmar set to enhance relations], Xinhua; retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.pr-inside.com/myanmar-s-prime-minister-visits-cambodia-r325144.htm Myanmar's prime minister visits Cambodia to garner support against sanctions]</ref> In the aftermath of [[Cyclone Nargis]] in May 2008, he led the National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee as chairman and was criticised for the government's systematic blocking of relief efforts.<ref name="altsean"/>
In 2007, sometime after his official appointment as [[Prime Minister of Myanmar|prime minister]], he was promoted to the rank of [[general]] from [[lieutenant general]].<ref name="Myanmar PM">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111150210/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/07/content_7026130.htm Myanmar PM to visit Laos, Vietnam], Xinhua. Retrieved 7 November 2007.</ref> On his first official visit outside Myanmar as prime minister, Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]] and [[Cambodia]].<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Burmas-PM-visits-Vietnam/2007/11/09/1194329510113.html Burma's PM visits Vietnam] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214002344/http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Burmas-PM-visits-Vietnam/2007/11/09/1194329510113.html |date=14 February 2009 }}, Associated Press via The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071112140935/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/09/content_7040876.htm Laos, Myanmar set to enhance relations], Xinhua; retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pr-inside.com/myanmar-s-prime-minister-visits-cambodia-r325144.htm |title=Myanmar's prime minister visits Cambodia to garner support against sanctions |access-date=3 December 2007 |archive-date=14 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114222248/http://www.pr-inside.com/myanmar-s-prime-minister-visits-cambodia-r325144.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the aftermath of [[Cyclone Nargis]] in May 2008, he led the National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee as chairman and was criticised for the government's systematic blocking of relief efforts.<ref name="altsean"/>


==Presidency==
==Presidency==
Line 74: Line 79:
===Election and appointment===
===Election and appointment===
{{main|2010 Myanmar general election}}
{{main|2010 Myanmar general election}}
On 29 April 2010, he retired from the [[Tatmadaw|military]], along with 22 other military officials, to lead the [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] as a civilian.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18388|title=Tight Censorship on Reporting USDP|last=Wai Moe|date=5 May 2010|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref> During the [[2010 Myanmar general election|2010 general election]], he was head of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, which contested in a controversial election and won the overwhelming majority of seats in the [[Assembly of the Union|Pyidaungsu Hluttaw]]. Thein Sein ran against [[National Unity Party (Burma)|National Unity Party]] candidate Kyaw Aye during the election, contesting a [[House of Representatives (Myanmar)|Pyithu Hluttaw]] seat to represent the constituents of [[Naypyidaw Union Territory]]'s [[Zabuthiri Township]]. He purportedly won 91.2% of the votes (65,620).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.burma2010election.com/election/peoples/constituency/673|title=People's parliament candidates in Zabuthiri constituency (Naypyitaw Union Territory)|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref>
On 29 April 2010, he retired from the [[Tatmadaw|military]], along with 22 other military officials, to lead the [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] as a civilian.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18388|title=Tight Censorship on Reporting USDP|last=Wai Moe|date=5 May 2010|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=2 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302191758/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18388|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[2010 Myanmar general election|2010 general election]], he was head of the [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] ([[USDP (Burma)|USDP]]), which contested in a controversial election and won the overwhelming majority of seats in the [[Assembly of the Union|Pyidaungsu Hluttaw]]. Thein Sein ran against [[National Unity Party (Burma)|National Unity Party]] candidate Kyaw Aye during the election, contesting a [[House of Representatives (Myanmar)|Pyithu Hluttaw]] seat to represent the constituents of [[Naypyidaw Union Territory]]'s [[Zabuthiri Township]]. He purportedly won 91.2% of the votes (65,620).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.burma2010election.com/election/peoples/constituency/673|title=People's parliament candidates in Zabuthiri constituency (Naypyitaw Union Territory)|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=31 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331012508/http://www.burma2010election.com/election/peoples/constituency/673|url-status=live}}</ref>


On 4 February 2011, he was elected by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw's [[Presidential Electoral College]] as the next [[President of Myanmar]], becoming the country's first non-interim civilian president in 49 years. [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]] and [[Sai Mauk Kham]] were named as the new vice-presidents.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12362745 Burma ex-Prime Minister Thein Sein named new president], [[BBC]], 4 February 2011.</ref> He was sworn in on 30 March 2011 alongside the two vice-presidents and the newly elected parliament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/president-sworn-in-spdc-dissolved/15033|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123330/http://www.dvb.no/news/president-sworn-in-spdc-dissolved/15033|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-03-04|title=President sworn in, junta dissolved- DVB Multimedia Group |publisher=Dvb.no |date=2011-03-30 |access-date=2015-11-15}}</ref>
On 4 February 2011, he was elected by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw's [[Presidential Electoral College]] as the next [[President of Myanmar]], becoming the country's first non-interim civilian president in 49 years. [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]] and [[Sai Mauk Kham]] were named as the new vice-presidents.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12362745 Burma ex-Prime Minister Thein Sein named new president] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119145845/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12362745 |date=19 November 2018 }}, [[BBC]], 4 February 2011.</ref> He was sworn in on 30 March 2011 alongside the two vice-presidents and the newly elected parliament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/president-sworn-in-spdc-dissolved/15033|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123330/http://www.dvb.no/news/president-sworn-in-spdc-dissolved/15033|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-03-04|title=President sworn in, junta dissolved- DVB Multimedia Group |publisher=Dvb.no |date=2011-03-30 |access-date=2015-11-15}}</ref>


===Regional policy===
===Regional policy===
In the first month of his presidency, he sought the support of [[ASEAN]] Secretary-General [[Surin Pitsuwan]] to support Myanmar's bid to chair the [[ASEAN Summit]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21225|title=Burma as Asean Chair in 2014? Think Again.|date=3 May 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref> As of July 2011, the government has formed a planning committee led by foreign affairs minister [[Wunna Maung Lwin]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5665-burma-organizes-committee-to-host-asean-summit.html|title=Burma organizes committee to host Asean Summit|author=Nyi Thit|date=25 July 2011|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref> In his presidency, Myanmar took the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014. ASEAN summit was held in [[Naypyidaw]] in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com/|title=ASEAN Summit 2014, Myanmar|website=asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com|access-date=2016-03-20}}</ref>
In the first month of his presidency, he sought the support of [[ASEAN]] Secretary-General [[Surin Pitsuwan]] to support Myanmar's bid to chair the [[ASEAN Summit]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21225|title=Burma as Asean Chair in 2014? Think Again.|date=3 May 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=22 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822032954/http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21225|url-status=live}}</ref> As of July 2011, the government has formed a planning committee led by foreign affairs minister [[Wunna Maung Lwin]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5665-burma-organizes-committee-to-host-asean-summit.html|title=Burma organizes committee to host Asean Summit|author=Nyi Thit|date=25 July 2011|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=22 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822080516/http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5665-burma-organizes-committee-to-host-asean-summit.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In his presidency, Myanmar took the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014. ASEAN summit was held in [[Naypyidaw]] in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com/|title=ASEAN Summit 2014, Myanmar|website=asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com|access-date=2016-03-20|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513184459/http://asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Domestic policy===
===Domestic policy===
Some have considered Thein Sein as a moderate because he was willing to engage with [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]; he had a high-profile meeting with her in Naypyidaw on 19 August 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/19/aung-san-suu-kyi-meeting|title=Aung San Suu Kyi meets Burma's president Thein Sein|date=19 August 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref> On 17 August 2011, he was quoted by the state newspaper, ''[[The New Light of Myanmar]]'' as saying:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21919|title='Welcome Home' Greeted with Skepticism|author=Ko Htwe|date=18 August 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref>{{cquote|We will make reviews to make sure that Myanmar [Burmese] citizens living abroad for some reasons can return home if they have not committed any crimes. And if a Myanmar citizen in a foreign country who committed crimes applies for returning home to serve terms, we will show our benevolent attitude in dealing with his case.}}
Some have considered Thein Sein as a moderate because he was willing to engage with [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]; he had a high-profile meeting with her in Naypyidaw on 19 August 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/19/aung-san-suu-kyi-meeting|title=Aung San Suu Kyi meets Burma's president Thein Sein|date=19 August 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=8 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908200506/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/19/aung-san-suu-kyi-meeting|url-status=live}}</ref> On 17 August 2011, he was quoted by the state newspaper, ''[[The New Light of Myanmar]]'' as saying:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21919|title='Welcome Home' Greeted with Skepticism|author=Ko Htwe|date=18 August 2011|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=21 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821024500/http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21919|url-status=live}}</ref>{{cquote|We will make reviews to make sure that Myanmar [Burmese] citizens living abroad for some reasons can return home if they have not committed any crimes. And if a Myanmar citizen in a foreign country who committed crimes applies for returning home to serve terms, we will show our benevolent attitude in dealing with his case.}}


Various news sources interpreted his suggestion as an invitation for overseas Burmese citizens to return to their country of origin and help rebuild the [[Economy of Myanmar|Burmese economy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/08/17/burmese-president-invites-return-of-citizens-abroad|title=Burmese President Invites Return of Citizens Abroad|date=17 August 2011|publisher=Voice of America|access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref>
Various news sources interpreted his suggestion as an invitation for overseas Burmese citizens to return to their country of origin and help rebuild the [[Economy of Myanmar|Burmese economy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/08/17/burmese-president-invites-return-of-citizens-abroad|title=Burmese President Invites Return of Citizens Abroad|date=17 August 2011|publisher=Voice of America|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=20 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320013323/http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/08/17/burmese-president-invites-return-of-citizens-abroad/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Clinton and President Thein Sein.jpg|thumb|right|260px|United States Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] meets with Burma's President Thein Sein in [[Naypyitaw]], 1 December 2011.]]
[[File:Clinton and President Thein Sein.jpg|thumb|right|260px|United States Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] meets with Burma's President Thein Sein in [[Naypyitaw]], 1 December 2011.]]


In 2012, Thein Sein proposed that the minority [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]] ethnic group, which had lived in Burma for hundreds of years, be "resettled" abroad, a proposal the [[United Nations]] was quick to object to.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120712/as-myanmar-sectarian-unrest|title=UN refugee chief rejects call to resettle Rohingya|work=The Huffington Post|date=12 July 2012|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref> Thein Sein has also supported domestic policies that label Rohingya as "non-citizens".{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} He has said that the [[2012 Rakhine State riots]] "has nothing to do with race or religion."<ref>Voice of America, Burma: Sectarian Violence Not About Race or Religion, 10 August 2012, http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-sectarian-violence-not-about-race-or-religion/1483768.html</ref>
In 2012, Thein Sein proposed that the minority [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]] ethnic group, which had lived in Burma for hundreds of years, be "resettled" abroad, a proposal the [[United Nations]] was quick to object to.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120712/as-myanmar-sectarian-unrest|title=UN refugee chief rejects call to resettle Rohingya|work=The Huffington Post|date=12 July 2012|access-date=15 July 2012|archive-date=8 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808014307/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120712/as-myanmar-sectarian-unrest/|url-status=live}}</ref> Thein Sein has also supported domestic policies that label Rohingya as "non-citizens".{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} He has said that the [[2012 Rakhine State riots]] "has nothing to do with race or religion."<ref>Voice of America, Burma: Sectarian Violence Not About Race or Religion, 10 August 2012, http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-sectarian-violence-not-about-race-or-religion/1483768.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063134/http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-sectarian-violence-not-about-race-or-religion/1483768.html |date=17 November 2015 }}</ref>
[[File:Barack Obama meets with Thein Sein at Burma Parliament Building.jpg|thumb|left|Thein Sein meets US President [[Barack Obama]] in [[Rangoon]], 19 November 2012]]
[[File:Barack Obama meets with Thein Sein at Burma Parliament Building.jpg|thumb|left|Thein Sein meets US President [[Barack Obama]] in [[Rangoon]], 19 November 2012]]


===2012 cabinet reshuffle===
===2012 cabinet reshuffle===
{{details|Cabinet of Burma}}
{{details|Cabinet of Burma}}
On 27 August 2012, Thein Sein announced a major cabinet reshuffle of 9 ministers and 15 deputy ministers, to consolidate the authority of his office by removing hardliner ministers and replacing them with political allies.<ref name="fuller 2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/world/asia/myanmar-leader-thein-sein-reshuffles-his-cabinet.html|title=President of Myanmar Reshuffles His Cabinet|last=Fuller|first=Thomas|date=27 August 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref> Among the more prominent changes was the transfer of [[Kyaw Hsan]] from the post of [[Ministry of Information (Myanmar)|Minister for Information]] to Minister of Cooperatives, and the appointment of [[Aung Min]], [[Tin Naing Thein]] and [[Soe Thein]], all former lieutenants under Thein Sein, to the posts of Minister of the President's Office.<ref name="fuller 2"/>
On 27 August 2012, Thein Sein announced a major cabinet reshuffle of 9 ministers and 15 deputy ministers, to consolidate the authority of his office by removing hardliner ministers and replacing them with political allies.<ref name="fuller 2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/world/asia/myanmar-leader-thein-sein-reshuffles-his-cabinet.html|title=President of Myanmar Reshuffles His Cabinet|last=Fuller|first=Thomas|date=27 August 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 September 2012|archive-date=3 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903084149/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/world/asia/myanmar-leader-thein-sein-reshuffles-his-cabinet.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Among the more prominent changes was the transfer of [[Kyaw Hsan]] from the post of [[Ministry of Information (Myanmar)|Minister for Information]] to Minister of Cooperatives, and the appointment of [[Aung Min]], [[Tin Naing Thein]] and [[Soe Thein]], all former lieutenants under Thein Sein, to the posts of Minister of the President's Office.<ref name="fuller 2"/>


===Union Solidarity and Development Party===
===Union Solidarity and Development Party===
On 16 October 2012, Thein Sein was re-elected as the chairman of the [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] (USDP) at the USDP's first party conference in [[Naypyidaw]].<ref name="wang">{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/16/c_131910351.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020100400/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/16/c_131910351.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 October 2012|title=President U Thein Sein re-elected as Myanmar's ruling party leader|author=Wang Yuanyuan|date=16 October 2012|agency=Xinhua News Agency|access-date=17 October 2012}}</ref> This is in direct contradiction to the 2008 [[Constitution of Myanmar]], which states:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/79572/85698/F1127243646/MMR79572.pdf|title=Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar|year=2008|work=Government of Myanmar|access-date=17 October 2012}}</ref>
On 16 October 2012, Thein Sein was re-elected as the chairman of the [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] (USDP) at the USDP's first party conference in [[Naypyidaw]].<ref name="wang">{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/16/c_131910351.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020100400/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/16/c_131910351.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 October 2012|title=President U Thein Sein re-elected as Myanmar's ruling party leader|author=Wang Yuanyuan|date=16 October 2012|agency=Xinhua News Agency|access-date=17 October 2012}}</ref> This is in direct contradiction to the 2008 [[Constitution of Myanmar]], which states:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/79572/85698/F1127243646/MMR79572.pdf|title=Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar|year=2008|work=Government of Myanmar|access-date=17 October 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050915/http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/79572/85698/F1127243646/MMR79572.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{cquote|If the President or the Vice-Presidents are members of a political party, they shall not take part in its party activities during their term of office from the day of their election.}}
{{cquote|If the President or the Vice-Presidents are members of a political party, they shall not take part in its party activities during their term of office from the day of their election.}}


According to the constitution, he was technically barred from taking part in party activities during his term of office. Because of mounting criticism over his dual role, Thein Sein handed over the chairman position of party to [[Shwe Mann]] on 1 May 2013. But Thein Sein will continue to play a leadership role within the ruling party and did not disqualify himself from consideration as the party's presidential candidate of 2015 election.<ref>{{cite news|title=Thein Sein resigns as chairman of Burma's ruling party|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-resigns-as-chairman-of-burma%E2%80%99s-ruling-party/27866|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114610/http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-resigns-as-chairman-of-burma%E2%80%99s-ruling-party/27866|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=DVB News|date=2 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Win Ko Ko Latt|title=Speaker confirmed as new USDP chairman|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=The Myanmar Times|date=6 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=WENG|first=LAWI|title=Thein Sein Still a USDP Leader, May Be Party's 2015 Presidential Pick: Lawmaker|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=The irrawaddy|date=3 May 2013}}</ref>
According to the constitution, he was technically barred from taking part in party activities during his term of office. Because of mounting criticism over his dual role, Thein Sein handed over the chairman position of party to [[Shwe Mann]] on 1 May 2013. But Thein Sein will continue to play a leadership role within the ruling party and did not disqualify himself from consideration as the party's presidential candidate of 2015 election.<ref>{{cite news|title=Thein Sein resigns as chairman of Burma's ruling party|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-resigns-as-chairman-of-burma%E2%80%99s-ruling-party/27866|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114610/http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-resigns-as-chairman-of-burma%E2%80%99s-ruling-party/27866|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=DVB News|date=2 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Win Ko Ko Latt|title=Speaker confirmed as new USDP chairman|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=The Myanmar Times|date=6 May 2013|archive-date=10 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010141147/http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=WENG|first=LAWI|title=Thein Sein Still a USDP Leader, May Be Party's 2015 Presidential Pick: Lawmaker|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=The irrawaddy|date=3 May 2013|archive-date=10 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010141147/http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/33709|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Post-presidency==
==Post-presidency==


A day after Thein Sein left office, the Democratic Voices of Burma published a news article that the ex-president would be ordaining as a [[Sāmaṇera|monk]] on 1 April 2016 for a few days, a tradition for Burmese Buddhist men. According to the DVB, a 'spokesperson close to the President' refused to disclose where he would be ordained, but it would be in a "small, peaceful town".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/ex-president-thein-sein-to-ordain-as-monk-report/61495|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404040626/http://www.dvb.no/news/ex-president-thein-sein-to-ordain-as-monk-report/61495|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-04-04|title=Ex-president Thein Sein to ordain as monk: report- DVB Multimedia Group|website=DVB Multimedia Group|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref>
A day after Thein Sein left office, the Democratic Voices of Burma published a news article that the ex-president would be ordaining as a [[Sāmaṇera|monk]] on 1 April 2016 for a few days, a tradition for Burmese Buddhist men. According to the DVB, a "spokesperson close to the President" refused to disclose where he would be ordained, but it would be in a "small, peaceful town".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/ex-president-thein-sein-to-ordain-as-monk-report/61495|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404040626/http://www.dvb.no/news/ex-president-thein-sein-to-ordain-as-monk-report/61495|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-04-04|title=Ex-president Thein Sein to ordain as monk: report- DVB Multimedia Group|website=DVB Multimedia Group|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref>


According to a Facebook post, he was temporarily ordained under [[Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa]] in a monastery in [[Pyin Oo Lwin]] under the monastic name U Santidhamma.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/bhikkhu.bhaddiya/posts/933425030111450|title=Myanmar Ex-president Mr. U Thein Sein... - Bhikkhu Bhaddiya {{!}} Facebook|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/burmas-former-president-thein-sein-joins-monkhood.html|title=Burma's Former President Thein Sein Joins Monkhood|website=The Irrawaddy|date=5 April 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref> Thein Sein has since lived in quiet retirement, maintaining his silence following the [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Analysis {{!}} Former President and General U Thein Sein Paints While Myanmar Burns |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analysis/former-president-and-general-u-thein-sein-paints-while-myanmar-burns.html |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}</ref>
According to a Facebook post, he was temporarily ordained under [[Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa]] in a monastery in [[Pyin Oo Lwin]] under the monastic name U Santidhamma.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/bhikkhu.bhaddiya/posts/933425030111450|title=Myanmar Ex-president Mr. U Thein Sein... - Bhikkhu Bhaddiya {{!}} Facebook|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/burmas-former-president-thein-sein-joins-monkhood.html|title=Burma's Former President Thein Sein Joins Monkhood|website=The Irrawaddy|date=5 April 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-05|archive-date=13 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813164907/http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/burmas-former-president-thein-sein-joins-monkhood.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Thein Sein has since lived in quiet retirement, maintaining his silence following the [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Analysis {{!}} Former President and General U Thein Sein Paints While Myanmar Burns |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analysis/former-president-and-general-u-thein-sein-paints-while-myanmar-burns.html |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904170152/https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analysis/former-president-and-general-u-thein-sein-paints-while-myanmar-burns.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


Thein Sein appeared again during an interview in April 2023, stating that the former military regime isolated the country for 20 years and that he personally negotiated for an end to sanctions during his presidency.
Thein Sein appeared again during an interview in April 2023, stating that the former military regime isolated the country for 20 years and that he personally negotiated for an end to sanctions during his presidency.<ref> [https://progressivevoicemyanmar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/98-WNR-English.pdf The messages conveyed through the unusual photos]. Burma News International: Myanmar Peace Monitor. Issue 98. March 22-28, 2023. pp.5-6</ref> <ref> [https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/ex-myanmar-leader-u-thein-seins-meetings-with-foreign-dignitaries-raise-eyebrows.html Ex-Myanmar Leader U Thein Sein's Meetings With Foreign Dignitaries Raise Eyebrows]. [[The Irrawaddy]]. April 27, 2023.</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Thein Sein is married to [[Khin Khin Win]]. The couple have three daughters.<ref name="keller"/> One of his daughter, Yin Thuzar Thein, who is married to a military captain, Han Win Aung.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15067|title=Burmese PM's Daughter Camera Shy on Her Wedding Day|last=Min Lwin|date=5 February 2009|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 June 2014}}</ref> He suffers from [[heart disease]] and uses a [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12358204|title=Profile: Burmese leader Thein Sein|date=4 February 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ME04Ae01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505135408/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ME04Ae01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=5 May 2011|title=Man in the mirror in Myanmar|last=McCoy|first=Clifford|date=4 May 2011|work=Asia Times|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref>
Thein Sein is married to [[Khin Khin Win]]. The couple have three daughters.<ref name="keller"/> One of his daughters, Yin Thuzar Thein, is married to military captain Han Win Aung.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15067|title=Burmese PM's Daughter Camera Shy on Her Wedding Day|last=Min Lwin|date=5 February 2009|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=22 June 2014|archive-date=17 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717153319/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15067|url-status=live}}</ref> He suffers from [[heart disease]] and uses a [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12358204|title=Profile: Burmese leader Thein Sein|date=4 February 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=20 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820200120/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12358204|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ME04Ae01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505135408/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ME04Ae01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=5 May 2011|title=Man in the mirror in Myanmar|last=McCoy|first=Clifford|date=4 May 2011|work=Asia Times|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Burmese Theravada Buddhists]]
[[Category:Defence Services Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Defence Services Academy alumni]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Ayeyarwady Region]]
[[Category:People from Ayeyarwady Region]]
[[Category:Presidents of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Presidents of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Union of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Union of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Union Solidarity and Development Party politicians]]
[[Category:Union Solidarity and Development Party politicians]]

Latest revision as of 15:43, 5 November 2024

In this Burmese name, the given name is Thein Sein. There is no family name.
His Excellency
Agga Maha Thray Sithu
Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma
Thein Sein
သိန်းစိန်
Thein Sein in 2013
8th President of Myanmar
In office
30 March 2011 – 30 March 2016
Vice PresidentTin Aung Myint Oo
Sai Mauk Kham
Nyan Tun
Preceded byThan Shwe (Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council)
Succeeded byHtin Kyaw
Prime Minister of Myanmar
In office
12 October 2007 – 7 November 2010
Acting: April 2007 – 12 October 2007
LeaderThan Shwe
Preceded bySoe Win
Succeeded byMin Aung Hlaing (2021)
Secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council
In office
19 October 2004 – 12 October 2007
Preceded bySoe Win
Succeeded byTin Aung Myint Oo
Secretary 2 of the State Peace and Development Council
In office
25 August 2003 – 19 October 2004
Preceded bySoe Win
Succeeded byTin Aung Myint Oo
Member of Parliament
for Zabuthiri
In office
31 January 2011 – 30 March 2011
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded bySanda Min
Majority65,620 (91.2%)
Personal details
Born (1944-04-20) 20 April 1944 (age 80)
Kyounku, Burma (now Myanmar)
Political partyUnion Solidarity and Development Party (2010–2016)
SpouseKhin Khin Win
Children3
Alma materDefence Services Academy
Military service
Allegiance Myanmar
Branch/service Myanmar Army
Years of service1968–2010
Rank General
This article contains Burmese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Burmese script.

Thein Sein (Burmese: သိန်းစိန်; IPA: [θéɪɰ̃ sèɪɰ̃]; born 20 April 1944) is a Burmese politician and retired military general who served as the 9th President of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, and was considered by many in and outside Myanmar as a reformist leader in the post-junta government.[1]

His government undertook a series of political reforms including some deregulation of the country's censored media, releasing many political prisoners and halting the country's controversial large Chinese-led hydro-power project. The developments that followed included Myanmar's appointment to chair ASEAN in 2014, improved relations with the United States, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi – his 2015 general election rival – from house arrest, and the reinstatement of major opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) in the by-election held on 1 April 2012.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Thein Sein was born in Kyonku, a small Irrawaddy delta village near Hainggyi Island in what is now Ngapudaw Township to Maung Phyo (father) and Khin Nyunt (mother) in 1944 during the Japanese occupation.[3] He was the youngest of three children. His parents were landless farmers, and his father made a living carrying cargo at the river jetty and weaving bamboo mats.[3][4] Thein Sein's father Maung Phyo became a Buddhist monk 10 years after his wife's death, and spent his remaining years as a monk.[3]

Military career

[edit]

Thein Sein graduated from the 9th intake of the Defence Services Academy with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968, becoming a second lieutenant afterward.[3][5] Throughout Thein Sein's four-decade long military career, he was considered a bureaucrat, not a combat soldier. In 1988, he served as a major for Sagaing Division's 55th Light Infantry Division and later served as a commander for Sagaing Division's 89th Infantry Battalion in Kalay Township. The following year, he studied at the Command and General Staff College in Kalaw, Shan State.

By 1991, he had returned to Yangon, after being promoted to the rank of colonel and 1st Grade General Staff Officer in the War Office. He was then promoted to brigadier general, but remained at his position in the War Office, which marked the first time a brigadier general was promoted to General Staff Officer. In 1993, he was recruited as the commander of Yangon Division's Military Operations Command 4 in Hmawbi. Three years later in 1996, he was appointed to lead the new Triangle Regional Military Command in Kyaingtong, Shan State, serving this role for another three years (1998–2001).[5]

In 1998, he became a member of the State Peace and Development Council and was appointed as Secretary-2 in 2001.[6][7] He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general that year.[8] After General Khin Nyunt was deposed and General Soe Win became Prime Minister in 2004, he was promoted to Secretary-1 and promoted to General in late 2004.[7]

Prime minister

[edit]
Thein Sein and Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva during a state visit to Naypyidaw on 11 October 2010.

Thein Sein was appointed in April 2007 by the nation's ruling military junta[9] as interim prime minister, replacing General Soe Win, who was undergoing medical treatment for leukaemia.[10][11] He was formally appointed as General Soe Win's permanent successor on 24 October 2007 after Soe Win's death on 12 October 2007.[12]

He held the position of first secretary in the ruling State Peace and Development Council junta. He was the country's fourth-highest ranking general,[13] and also served as the chairman of the government-sponsored National Convention Convening Commission.[14] Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with Bangladesh and Cambodia.[10][11]

In 2007, sometime after his official appointment as prime minister, he was promoted to the rank of general from lieutenant general.[15] On his first official visit outside Myanmar as prime minister, Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.[16][17][18] In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, he led the National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee as chairman and was criticised for the government's systematic blocking of relief efforts.[5]

Presidency

[edit]

Election and appointment

[edit]
Main article: 2010 Myanmar general election

On 29 April 2010, he retired from the military, along with 22 other military officials, to lead the Union Solidarity and Development Party as a civilian.[19] During the 2010 general election, he was head of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which contested in a controversial election and won the overwhelming majority of seats in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. Thein Sein ran against National Unity Party candidate Kyaw Aye during the election, contesting a Pyithu Hluttaw seat to represent the constituents of Naypyidaw Union Territory's Zabuthiri Township. He purportedly won 91.2% of the votes (65,620).[20]

On 4 February 2011, he was elected by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw's Presidential Electoral College as the next President of Myanmar, becoming the country's first non-interim civilian president in 49 years. Tin Aung Myint Oo and Sai Mauk Kham were named as the new vice-presidents.[21] He was sworn in on 30 March 2011 alongside the two vice-presidents and the newly elected parliament.[22]

Regional policy

[edit]

In the first month of his presidency, he sought the support of ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan to support Myanmar's bid to chair the ASEAN Summit in 2014.[23] As of July 2011, the government has formed a planning committee led by foreign affairs minister Wunna Maung Lwin.[24] In his presidency, Myanmar took the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014. ASEAN summit was held in Naypyidaw in the same year.[25]

Domestic policy

[edit]

Some have considered Thein Sein as a moderate because he was willing to engage with Aung San Suu Kyi; he had a high-profile meeting with her in Naypyidaw on 19 August 2011.[26] On 17 August 2011, he was quoted by the state newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar as saying:[27]

We will make reviews to make sure that Myanmar [Burmese] citizens living abroad for some reasons can return home if they have not committed any crimes. And if a Myanmar citizen in a foreign country who committed crimes applies for returning home to serve terms, we will show our benevolent attitude in dealing with his case.

Various news sources interpreted his suggestion as an invitation for overseas Burmese citizens to return to their country of origin and help rebuild the Burmese economy.[28]

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Burma's President Thein Sein in Naypyitaw, 1 December 2011.

In 2012, Thein Sein proposed that the minority Rohingya ethnic group, which had lived in Burma for hundreds of years, be "resettled" abroad, a proposal the United Nations was quick to object to.[29] Thein Sein has also supported domestic policies that label Rohingya as "non-citizens".[citation needed] He has said that the 2012 Rakhine State riots "has nothing to do with race or religion."[30]

Thein Sein meets US President Barack Obama in Rangoon, 19 November 2012

2012 cabinet reshuffle

[edit]
Further information: Cabinet of Burma

On 27 August 2012, Thein Sein announced a major cabinet reshuffle of 9 ministers and 15 deputy ministers, to consolidate the authority of his office by removing hardliner ministers and replacing them with political allies.[31] Among the more prominent changes was the transfer of Kyaw Hsan from the post of Minister for Information to Minister of Cooperatives, and the appointment of Aung Min, Tin Naing Thein and Soe Thein, all former lieutenants under Thein Sein, to the posts of Minister of the President's Office.[31]

Union Solidarity and Development Party

[edit]

On 16 October 2012, Thein Sein was re-elected as the chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) at the USDP's first party conference in Naypyidaw.[32] This is in direct contradiction to the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar, which states:[33]

If the President or the Vice-Presidents are members of a political party, they shall not take part in its party activities during their term of office from the day of their election.

According to the constitution, he was technically barred from taking part in party activities during his term of office. Because of mounting criticism over his dual role, Thein Sein handed over the chairman position of party to Shwe Mann on 1 May 2013. But Thein Sein will continue to play a leadership role within the ruling party and did not disqualify himself from consideration as the party's presidential candidate of 2015 election.[34][35][36]

Post-presidency

[edit]

A day after Thein Sein left office, the Democratic Voices of Burma published a news article that the ex-president would be ordaining as a monk on 1 April 2016 for a few days, a tradition for Burmese Buddhist men. According to the DVB, a "spokesperson close to the President" refused to disclose where he would be ordained, but it would be in a "small, peaceful town".[37]

According to a Facebook post, he was temporarily ordained under Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa in a monastery in Pyin Oo Lwin under the monastic name U Santidhamma.[38][39] Thein Sein has since lived in quiet retirement, maintaining his silence following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[40]

Thein Sein appeared again during an interview in April 2023, stating that the former military regime isolated the country for 20 years and that he personally negotiated for an end to sanctions during his presidency.[41] [42]

Personal life

[edit]

Thein Sein is married to Khin Khin Win. The couple have three daughters.[3] One of his daughters, Yin Thuzar Thein, is married to military captain Han Win Aung.[43] He suffers from heart disease and uses a pacemaker.[44][45]

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thein Sein.
  1. ^ Ba Kaung (15 August 2011). "Will Naypyidaw's Olive Branch Bear Fruit?". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  2. ^ "One Year of Myanmar's Thein Sein Government: Background and Outlook of Reforms". KUDO Toshihiro. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e Keller, Bill (30 September 2012). "A Conversation with President U Thein Sein of Myanmar". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  4. ^ Fuller, Thomas (14 March 2012). "A Most Unlikely Liberator in Myanmar". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "President Thein Sein". Alternative Asean Network on Burma. Archived from the original on 31 July 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  6. ^ "THEIN SEIN profile". Alternative Asean Network on Burma. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Lt-Gen Thein Sein is new PM". Myanmar Times. 29 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  8. ^ Tun Tun (3 February 2011). "Profiles of vice president nominees". Mizzma News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Countries Me-My". Rulers.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  10. ^ a b Burmese junta choose stand-in PM Archived 27 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, BBC.co.uk; retrieved 20 May 2007.
  11. ^ a b Burmese Junta Tips New Prime Minister Archived 20 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 20 May 2007.
  12. ^ Myanmar appoints new PM, Xinhua; retrieved 24 October 2007.
  13. ^ Myanmar paramount leader not nominated for president: MPs Archived 6 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters; retrieved 1 February 2011.
  14. ^ Work coordination meeting of National Convention Convening Commission, Work Committee and Management Committee held Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The New Light of Myanmar; retrieved 20 April 2004.
  15. ^ Myanmar PM to visit Laos, Vietnam, Xinhua. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
  16. ^ Burma's PM visits Vietnam Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press via The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
  17. ^ Laos, Myanmar set to enhance relations, Xinhua; retrieved 11 November 2007.
  18. ^ "Myanmar's prime minister visits Cambodia to garner support against sanctions". Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  19. ^ Wai Moe (5 May 2010). "Tight Censorship on Reporting USDP". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  20. ^ "People's parliament candidates in Zabuthiri constituency (Naypyitaw Union Territory)". Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  21. ^ Burma ex-Prime Minister Thein Sein named new president Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 4 February 2011.
  22. ^ "President sworn in, junta dissolved- DVB Multimedia Group". Dvb.no. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  23. ^ "Burma as Asean Chair in 2014? Think Again". The Irrawaddy. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  24. ^ Nyi Thit (25 July 2011). "Burma organizes committee to host Asean Summit". Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  25. ^ "ASEAN Summit 2014, Myanmar". asean-summit-2014.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi meets Burma's president Thein Sein". The Guardian. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  27. ^ Ko Htwe (18 August 2011). "'Welcome Home' Greeted with Skepticism". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  28. ^ "Burmese President Invites Return of Citizens Abroad". Voice of America. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  29. ^ "UN refugee chief rejects call to resettle Rohingya". The Huffington Post. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  30. ^ Voice of America, Burma: Sectarian Violence Not About Race or Religion, 10 August 2012, http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-sectarian-violence-not-about-race-or-religion/1483768.html Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ a b Fuller, Thomas (27 August 2012). "President of Myanmar Reshuffles His Cabinet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  32. ^ Wang Yuanyuan (16 October 2012). "President U Thein Sein re-elected as Myanmar's ruling party leader". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar" (PDF). Government of Myanmar. 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Thein Sein resigns as chairman of Burma's ruling party". DVB News. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  35. ^ Win Ko Ko Latt (6 May 2013). "Speaker confirmed as new USDP chairman". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  36. ^ WENG, LAWI (3 May 2013). "Thein Sein Still a USDP Leader, May Be Party's 2015 Presidential Pick: Lawmaker". The irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  37. ^ "Ex-president Thein Sein to ordain as monk: report- DVB Multimedia Group". DVB Multimedia Group. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  38. ^ "Myanmar Ex-president Mr. U Thein Sein... - Bhikkhu Bhaddiya | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  39. ^ "Burma's Former President Thein Sein Joins Monkhood". The Irrawaddy. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  40. ^ "Analysis | Former President and General U Thein Sein Paints While Myanmar Burns". The Irrawaddy. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  41. ^ The messages conveyed through the unusual photos. Burma News International: Myanmar Peace Monitor. Issue 98. March 22-28, 2023. pp.5-6
  42. ^ Ex-Myanmar Leader U Thein Sein's Meetings With Foreign Dignitaries Raise Eyebrows. The Irrawaddy. April 27, 2023.
  43. ^ Min Lwin (5 February 2009). "Burmese PM's Daughter Camera Shy on Her Wedding Day". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  44. ^ "Profile: Burmese leader Thein Sein". BBC News. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  45. ^ McCoy, Clifford (4 May 2011). "Man in the mirror in Myanmar". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Myanmar
2007–2010 		Vacant
Title next held by
Min Aung Hlaing (2021)
Preceded by
Than Shwe
as Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar
 President of Myanmar
2011–2016 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Chairperson of ASEAN
2014 		Succeeded by
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