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USA - At a medical clinic turned Buddhist meditation hall in Massachusetts that specializes in treating Cambodian-Americans, much thought has gone into creating a facility that doesn't evoke memories of torture or other negative experiences.
Htin Kyaw, center, the National League for Democracynominated presidential candidate for the lower house of parliament, arrives in Naypyitaw Feb. 1, 2016 (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters).
Ever hear of Htin Kyaw [pronounced Tin Chaww]? Neither have the vast majority of people in Burma (renamed "Myanmar" by
the military dictatorship), a country he’ll lead as president in a
new democratic era.
The Lady Aung San Suu Kyi (AP)
His leadership, however, comes with a huge caveat: Htin Kyaw will effectively serve as a [proxy for beloved icon of democracy] Aung San Suu Kyi, the White House-backed idol swept to power by a landslide election in November.
In Burma, she’s beloved as a symbol of resistance to the military, which has mired the country in tyranny and poverty for decades. [Their rule continues but is now less overt.]
Beloved symbol of freedom and democracy
Suu Kyi -- the most famous person to ever emerge from Burma -- would be president if only the military allowed it. [She is certainly the candidate the people have voted for and fought to have as their leader; she is the daughter of famed freedom fighter and national hero Aung San, which accounts for some of her popularity, with charisma and personal sacrifice accounting for the majority of it.]
Burma's puppet-master, Gen. Than Shwe
She is barred from the top job by a constitutional clause, written [and forcibly inserted] by the army with her in mind, that forbids politicians with foreign kin from the presidency. Her sons both hold UK citizenship [because she married a British man, now deceased, and her sons fled the country during the turmoil, whereas she chose to stay and suffer imprisonment and decades of house arrest because she knew that if she left, the military would bar her from ever returning]. They appear unwilling to forsake it to help their mother achieve her long-held dream of leading as [rightfully democratically-elected] president.
So instead Suu Kyi will lead by proxy. Her pick is Htin Kyaw, a bespectacled 69-year-old with a mop of silver hair. He is known in political circles but not well recognized to the broader public. He was nominated on March 10th by her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which now dominates parliament, and officially elected president on Monday [March 14th, 2016]. More
