Yee Mon
Yee Mon (Burmese: ရည်မွန်; also known as Maung Tin Thit or Tin Thit; born 9 August 1967) is a Burmese poet, former political prisoner, and politician currently serving as Minister of Defense of National Unity Government of Myanmar.
Yee Mon | |
|---|---|
| ရည်မွန် | |
| Minister of Defense of National Unity Government of Myanmar | |
| Assumed office 16 April 2021 | |
| Appointed by | Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw |
| President | Duwa Lashi La (acting) |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 9, 1967 Maha Aungmye Township, Mandalay Region |
| Political party | National League for Democracy |
| Profession | Politician, poet |
Yee Mon attended the medical school (University of Medicine, Mandalay) in 1984. During the pro-democracy uprising of 1988 against the military junta that ruled Burma he participated in the protests, and was imprisoned by the regime for seven years. Yee Mon / Maung Tin Thit later worked as an environmental activist.
In the 2015 general election, Tin Thit successfully ran as a candidate for Parliament with the National League for Democracy in a district in the national capital of Naypyidaw. Tin Thit received 27,321 votes, narrowly defeating U Wai Lwin, a powerful former military general who had been defense minister until a few months before the elections. Tin Thit's victory was viewed as a surprise because the district has more than 7,000 soldiers and 2,000 police officers, who were seen as likely to favor an ex-general.
His discussion in the Myanmar Parliament (2015-2020) to amend the National Constitution has been considered as a notable step to peacefully remove the Military from inappropriate involvement in Myanmar politics and re-establish as a proper professional army for national defense.