Burma
The newly appointed deputy human rights minister U Aung Kyaw Moe. / NUG
Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government has appointed the Rohingya activist U Aung Kyaw Moe as its deputy human rights minister.
U Aung Kyaw Moe has been a rights adviser to the ministry for almost two years.
“I am proud to have the opportunity to work more for the country and the people,” he posted on Facebook.
The appointment of a Rohingya to a senior role was welcomed online as a significant move towards equality for religious minorities and the Rohingya, in particular.
Ro Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, posted on Facebook praising the appointment and calling for more steps towards integration.
Dr Sa Sa, the NUG’s international cooperation minister, said the appointment brought him “immense joy”.
“Together, we continue to strive for freedom, federal democracy and a brighter future for all people of Myanmar, regardless of race, religion, culture, gender, language, background or ethnicity,” he said.
The civilian ministry said U Aung Kyaw Moe is a human rights, peace and humanitarian advocate with over 15 years’ experience working with various UN agencies and NGOs in Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan and Liberia. He was granted the French government’s human rights award and received four other international awards, including the Schuman Award from the European Union in 2019 for his peace-building and human rights activities.
He is a graduate of the George W Bush and Barack Obama’s leadership programs, the United States Institute of Peace and Dalai Lama Fellowship.
On June 7, his elder brother U Than Myint was assassinated by unknown assailants in Yangon after leaving his pharmacy. He posted on Facebook that U Than Myint was killed after his family connection was revealed.
