U Myint (Burmese: ဦးမြင့်) is a Burmese economist and served as the Chief Presidential Adviser to Thein Sein, the former President of Burma, and led his Economic Advisory Unit.[1][2]

U Myint
ဦးမြင့်
Chief Economic Advisor of the President's Office of Myanmar
Assumed office
19 April 2011
Serving with Tin Hla Bo and Aung Tun Thet
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born1938 (age 85–86)
NationalityBurmese
RelationsU Aye (ambassador) (Brother)
Residence(s)Yangon, Myanmar
Alma materRangoon University (B.A.)
Cornell University (M.A.)
University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D)
OccupationEconomist

Career edit

U Myint comes from a well-connected and prominent family. He attended Rangoon University where he received a multiple Bachelor degrees in English, politics, and economics,[3] before moving onto Cornell University, where he earned a master's degree in economics.[4] He then earned a Ph.D in economics at the University of California, Berkeley.[5]

U Myint was previously a professor of economics at Rangoon University's Institute of Economics, and also served as the director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs' economics department.[6][2] He later led the Research Department at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. U Myint currently presides as the director of the Yangon-based Tun Foundation Bank.[2]

In 2011, his appointment as President Thein Sein's chief economic adviser surprised many Burma watchers, as he has a close relationship with Aung San Suu Kyi.[7][8]

In May 2011, U Myint proposed the creation of an independent research center, the Myanmar Development Resource Institute (MDRI), in a paper entitled “Reducing Poverty in Myanmar: The Way Forward,” to combat poverty.[9] The institute was then founded by U Myint and other advisors to President Thein Sein.[10] He currently heads the MDRI's Centre for Economic and Social Development.[11][12]

Papers for Myanmar reforms edit

U Myint become notable after he published his paper in 2011 (after new government President U Thein Sein took office); Reducing Poverty in Myanmar, Kyat valuation paper, Anti-corruption paper, FDI Paper, and more.[13] In 2012, U Myint wrote an open letter to the public which he sought to inspire action regarding the restoration of the University of Yangon "to its Former Glory," which was one of the top universities in Asia.[14]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Goddard, Geoffrey; Sandar Lwin (December 2011). "Poverty gets new recognition" (PDF). Myanmar Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Ba Kaung (27 April 2011). "Thein Sein Appoints Presidential Advisors". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 2015-07-25. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  3. ^ "သမ္မတ အကြံပေးအဖွဲ့ ပညာရှင်နှင့် လူပုဂ္ဂိုလ် ကိုးဦးဖြင့် ဖွဲ့စည်း". The Voice Weekly (in Burmese). 26 April 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ U Myint (December 2009). "About the Author" (PDF). Myanmar Economy: A Comparative View. Institute for Security and Development Policy. ISBN 9789185937714.
  5. ^ Wilson, Trevor (2006). Myanmar's long road to national reconciliation. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. xi. ISBN 9789812303639.
  6. ^ Htet Aung (February 2010). "A Game of Cat and Mouse". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Names in the News: Burma's News Makers in 2011". The Irrawaddy. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  8. ^ Allchin, Joseph (28 April 2011). "Presidential 'advisors' raise eyebrows". Democratic Voice of Burma. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  9. ^ Nyunt Win (30 May 2011). "Economist proposes formation of development resource institute". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Myanmar Development Resource Institute". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  11. ^ Sandar Lwin (13 February 2012). "Leading economists hold talk". Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  12. ^ Thomas Kean (22 December 2013). "Economist calls for caution on pace of banking reforms". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. ^ "U Myint Calls on Burmese Government to Fight Corruption". irrawaddy.com. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Open Letter on Restoring the University of Yangon to its Former Glory". globalhighered.wordpress.com. Retrieved 10 June 2022.