Khin Shwe

{{Short description|Burmese politician and business tycoon}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Khin Shwe

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| order = Member of the House of Nationalities

| constituency = Yangon Region № 9
Twante, Kawhmu, and Kungyangon Townships

| majority = 173,208 (73.76%)

| term_start = 31 January 2011

| term_end = 29 January 2016

| predecessor = Position established

| successor =

| native_name = {{lang|my|ခင်ရွှေ}}

| native_name_lang = my

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|1|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Moulmein, Burma

| residence = Bahan Township, Yangon{{cite web|url=http://www.amyothahluttaw.gov.mm/?representative=mp010901 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150301121335/http://www.amyothahluttaw.gov.mm/?representative=mp010901 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-03-01 |title=လွှတ်တော်ကိုယ်စားလှယ် ကိုယ်ရေးမှတ်တမ်းအကျဉ်းချုပ် - ဒေါက်တာခင်ရွှေ |date=2015 |work=အမျိုးသားလွှတ်တော် |language=Burmese |access-date=1 March 2015 }}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Burmese

| party = Union Solidarity and Development Party

| occupation = Chairman of Zaykabar Company

| organization =

| salary =

| other_names =

| known_for =

| parents = Saw Nyunt (father)
Daw Daung (mother)

| spouse = {{marriage|San San Kywe|1975}}

| children = Zay Thiha
Zay Zin Latt

}}

Khin Shwe ({{langx|my|ခင်ရွှေ}}; born 21 January 1952) Burmese business tycoon and politician who served as a Member of parliament in the House of Nationalities for Yangon Region № 9 constituency from 2011 to 2016. He is the chairman of Zaykabar Construction, one of the country's largest construction companies.{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/news/540/news022.html|title=Construction moguls to join USDP as candidates|last=Kyaw Hsu Mon|date=13 September 2010|publisher=Myanmar Times|access-date=15 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612164503/http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/news/540/news022.html|archive-date=12 June 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4570-junta-crony-khin-shwe-wins-upper-house-seat.html |title=Junta crony Khin Shwe wins upper house seat |last=Ko Wild |date=12 November 2010 |publisher=Mizzima |access-date=15 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415122738/http://mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4570-junta-crony-khin-shwe-wins-upper-house-seat.html |archive-date=15 April 2012 }} He also serves as chairman for the National Development Group of Companies, Myanmar Tourism Board and the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association.{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6188-tourism-chairman-khin-shwe-calls-burmese-media-pessimistic.html |title=Tourism chairman Khin Shwe calls Burmese media pessimistic |last=Myo Thein |date=15 November 2011 |publisher=Mizzima |access-date=15 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415020142/http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6188-tourism-chairman-khin-shwe-calls-burmese-media-pessimistic.html |archive-date=15 April 2012 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/news/544/54411news.html|title=Business associations ease way for members to enter parliament|author=Kyaw Hsu Mon|date=11 October 2010|publisher=Myanmar Times|access-date=15 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612171232/http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/news/544/54411news.html|archive-date=12 June 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaldevelop.com/profile.htm|title=Company Profile|date=25 April 2006|work=National Development Company Group Ltd.|access-date=30 October 2012}}

Early life and education

Khin Shwe was born in Moulmein (now Mawlamyaing), Burma to ethnic Mon-Burmese parents, Saw Nyunt and Daw Daung.{{cite web|url=http://www.afgventuregroup.com/publications/addedvalueseasia_myanmar_extracts.php#khinshwe|title=DR KHIN SHWE|work=AFG Venture Group|access-date=27 October 2012}} He attended a technical high school in Maymyo and worked for the Burmese government until 1988, as a construction and survey engineer. Khin Shwe claims to hold two honorary doctorate degrees in business administration.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaldevelop.com/zaykabar.htm|title=5. Profile of developer|work=Zaykabar|access-date=30 October 2012}} However, both are from unaccredited for-profit diploma mills, Washington University and Cal Southern University.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=EF4C3C3B-EB44-4381-6673F760B3946FBB|title=Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas|year=2012|work=Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board|access-date=30 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712033711/http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=EF4C3C3B-EB44-4381-6673F760B3946FBB|archive-date=12 July 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://wupa.wustl.edu/record_archive/1998/09-03-98/articles/lawsuit.html |title=University settles suit to stop business from using its name |work=Washington University in St. Louis |access-date=27 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227045924/http://wupa.wustl.edu/record_archive/1998/09-03-98/articles/lawsuit.html |archive-date=27 December 2011 }}{{cite news|url=http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=5010&page=12|title=Tycoon Turf|last=Aung Zaw|date=September 2005|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=27 October 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.studlife.com/forum/op-ed-submission/2012/08/30/washington-university-the-no-2-diploma-mill-in-the-world/|title="Washington University," the No. 2 "diploma mill" in the world?|date=30 August 2012|work=Student Life|access-date=27 October 2012}}

Business holding

In 1988, he established Padamya Company with Htein Win and 2 other partners. In 1990, he formed his own construction company, Zaykabar Company, one of the country's largest construction companies. Later, he became chairman of the National Development Group of Companies, Myanmar Tourism Board and the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association.

The Burmese government has awarded him two titles: Thiri Thudhamma Manijotadhara (1998) and Agga Maha Thirithudhamma Manijhotadhara (2001). Khin Shwe is head of Sasana Nogghaha, a religious organization supported by the Burmese government.{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5184-governments-religious-group-should-work-to-release-jailed-monks-abma.html |title=Government's religious group should work to release jailed monks: ABMA |last=Myo Thant |date=27 April 2011 |work=Mizzima |access-date=28 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028002052/http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5184-governments-religious-group-should-work-to-release-jailed-monks-abma.html |archive-date=28 October 2012 }} Khin Shwe was featured on the US’s Specially Designated Nationals list for more than ten years. He saw his name removed with the lifting of sanctions by the White House in October 2016, a move deemed controversial by rights groups who criticize the lack of transparency in the business landscape and continued involvement in the economy by individuals and companies with military ties.

Along with Htay Myint, Dagon Win Aung and Nay Zin Latt, Khin Shwe serves as a patron of the Myanmar Hoteliers Association.{{cite web|url=http://myanmarhotelier.org/about-us/organization-chart.html |title=Organization Chart |work=Myanmar Hotelier Association |access-date=28 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414213702/http://www.myanmarhotelier.org/about-us/organization-chart.html |archive-date=14 April 2012 }}

Shwe Mann and Khin Shwe are related by marriage: Shwe Mann's son, Toe Naing Mann, is married to Zay Zin Latt ({{lang|my|ဇေဇင်လတ်}}), Khin Shwe's daughter.{{cite news|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/former-pm-lands-5000-a-month-job/19926|title=Former PM lands $5,000-a-month job|date=25 January 2012|work=Democratic Voice of Burma|access-date=27 October 2012}} Khin Shwe's son Zay Thiha ({{lang|my|ဇေသီဟ}}), promoter of the World Lethwei Championship, is married to Nanda Hlaing, a Burmese actress and model.{{cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32010R0411|title=Commission Regulation (EU) No 411/2010 of 10 May 2010 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 renewing and strengthening the restrictive measures in respect of Burma/Myanmar|date=10 May 2010|work=European Commission|access-date=29 October 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mizzima.com/component/content/article/750-drug-investigation-heavy-punishment-likely-for-maung-weik.html?fontstyle=f-default |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129030800/http://www.mizzima.com/component/content/article/750-drug-investigation-heavy-punishment-likely-for-maung-weik.html?fontstyle=f-default |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 January 2013 |title=Drug investigation, heavy punishment likely for Maung Weik |date=3 July 2008 |work=Mizzima |access-date=29 October 2012 }}

In 2021, he opened Zaykabar Museum, the largest private museum in Myanmar, in Yangon.{{cite news |title=Zaykabar Group’s U Khin Shwe to Open Private Museum |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/zaykabar-groups-u-khin-shwe-to-open-private-museum.html |work=The Irrawaddy |date=18 November 2016}}

Political career

He is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party. In the 2010 Myanmar general election, he contested the Yangon Region № 9 constituency winning a majority of 173,208 (73.76 percent of the votes), won a House of Nationalities seat.

In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, he was arrested and sent to Insein Prison on 21 March 2022 along with his son Zay Thiha, following a conflict over a failed building development on military-owned land in Yangon.{{Cite web |title=Myanmar military revives years-old case and arrests Yangon business tycoon |url=https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/myanmar-military-revives-years-old-case-and-arrests-yangon-business-tycoon |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=Myanmar NOW |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Chau |first=Thompson |last2=Oo |first2=Dominic |date=2022-04-17 |title=Myanmar's purge of tycoon highlights tension within regime |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Crisis/Myanmar-s-purge-of-tycoon-highlights-tension-within-regime |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}} They are the first major cronies to be arrested after the coup.{{Cite web |last=Sai |first=Ko |date=2022-03-24 |title=Myanmar Junta Detains Crony Over Failed Building Project on Military-Owned Land |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-detains-crony-over-failed-building-project-on-military-owned-land.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}

References