NCGUB appoints three new ministers

DVB
26 Jan 2009

Jan 26, 2009 (DVB)–The exiled Members of Parliament Union of Burma has appointed three new ministers to the National Coalition Government of Burma and reappointed Sein Win as prime minister at its fourth conference in Dublin.

The new appointments on 24 January bring the number of cabinet ministers in the government in exile to seven.

Thaton MP Khun Myint Tun, Tatkon representative Win Hlaing and Tun Win of the Arakan League of Democracy will join Sein Win and current ministers Bo Hla Tint of Moegok, Dr Tint Swe from Pale and Khoo Marko Ban from Pekon.

The individual responsibilities of the new ministers have not yet been outlined.

Sein Win said the decision to expand the cabinet was based on the policy of standing firm to uphold the result of the 1990 elections, and called for inclusive activities and public movements to take place before the junta’s planned 2010 elections.

He also said that ethnic national groups and the National Council of the Union of Burma would be consulted on the NCGUB’s future activities in the upcoming strategic meeting, also to be held in Dublin.

Former minister Maung Maung Yae was appointed the new joint secretary of the MPU, alongside the organisation’s chair Khoo Teddy Buri, vice-chair San San and secretary Thein Oo.

A dispute arose between the NCGUB and the NCUB earlier this month after the latter declared on 1 January that it planned to form a new national unity government in exile.

Khun Myint Tun, secretary of the NCUB and former joint secretary of the MPU, explained that the NCUB's statement was based on the MPU's policy of expanding the NCGUB with ethnic national leaders and appropriate persons, which was set out in February 2008.

"We have been unable to implement the policy yet,” Khun Myint Tun said.

“We are going to form a negotiation committee to do it."

Senior National League for Democracy member Win Tin said he supported all efforts for democracy in Burma but warned that the establishment of a new government in exile could prove divisive.

"The new rival government divides us into two groups, so we could end up with two governments and two nations,” he said.

“If we are divided in this way, history will judge the person who started it."