Yee Mon

In this Burmese name, the given name is Yee Mon. There is no family name.
His Excellency
Yee Mon
ရည်မွန်
Minister of Defense of National Unity Government of Myanmar
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 April 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-16)
Appointed byCommittee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
PresidentDuwa Lashi La (acting)
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born (1967-08-09) August 9, 1967 (age 57)
Maha Aungmye Township, Mandalay Region
Political partyNational League for Democracy
ProfessionPolitician, poet

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.[1][2]

He attended the University of Medicine, Mandalay in 1984. He participated in protests during the pro-democracy uprising of 1988, against the military junta that ruled Burma, and was imprisoned by the regime for seven years. Later, he worked as an environmental activist.[1]

In the 2015 general election, Yee Mon successfully ran for Parliament with the National League for Democracy, in a district of Naypyidaw.[1] He received 27,321 votes, narrowly defeating U Wai Lwin, a powerful former military general and former defense minister.[1] His victory was viewed as a surprise, due to the large number of soldiers and police officers in the district, who were seen as more likely to favor an ex-general.[1]

His discussion in the Myanmar Parliament to amend the National Constitution has been considered a notable step to peacefully remove the country's military from inappropriate political involvement and re-establish it as a proper professional army for national defense.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e Thomas Fuller, A Poet's Election Victory Over a Former General Speaks of a New Myanmar Archived 2021-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times (November 14, 2015).
  2. ^ Ei Ei Toe Lwin & Pyae Thet Phyom, Drama in NPT as commission rejects ex-minister's petition for vote recount Archived 2017-06-28 at the Wayback Machine, Myanmar Times (November 11, 2015).
  3. ^ U Yee Mon (Archive) April 20, 2022