Former PM lands $5,000-a-month job

By DVB
Published: 25 January 2012

Former prime minister Khin Nyunt speaks to media following his release from house arrest on 13 January (Reuters)

Former Burmese prime minister Khin Nyunt walked free from seven years under house arrest earlier this month and into a position as patron of a philanthropic foundation owned by business tycoon and MP Khin Shwe, with a salary close to $US5,000 a month.

Khin Nyunt was among a number of high-profile prisoners released in a far-reaching amnesty on 13 January – the former premier and head of Burma’s feared intelligence body was purged in 2004 after falling foul of then-junta chief Than Shwe and handed a 44-year sentence.

During his detention little was heard of him, although it appears he cultivated a network of allies like Khin Shwe who busily prepared for his release. The tycoon told Radio Free Asia this week that the Mya Yeik Nyo Foundation, thought to have a net worth of one billion kyat ($US1.2 million) would focus efforts on building schools and hospitals in Burma’s remote ethnic regions. Students would also benefit from scholarships to attend universities in the country.

The salary expected by Khin Nyunt seems staggering in a country where a third of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, and annual GDP per capita barely passes $US400.

But recent years have seen the formation of a powerful oligarchy that has benefited hugely from the privatisation of swathes of formerly state-owned industry that gathered pace in 2010. Little transparency surrounded the overhaul of Burma’s economy, and those like Khin Shwe who stayed close to the former junta pocketed the rewards.

He now splits his time between parliament and his multiple business interests, which includes heading the Zaykabar Company, one of Burma’s largest construction and real estate outfits. He is also father-in-law to the son of powerful parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann.

Khin Nyunt said upon walking free nearly two weeks that his political career was behind him; instead, the 76-year-old pledged to focus on religious and philanthropic work.

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Author:              Category: Economics, News

Comments


  1. Ne Myo Win says:

    All these people related Khin Nyunt are blood suckers and bastards!

  2. Maung Kyaw Nu, A former political prisoner of conscience. says:

    How an excellent monthly income arrange for Khin Nyunt by the Junta’s share holder .USD 5000 per month.None of the Ex Head of the state enjoy this kind of big package after their retirement .It is completely proved that how Khin Nyunt’s excellent relationship with the present Regime.
    Is he not a shadow patron of U Thien Sein Government???

  3. Denys Goldthorpe says:

    It doesn’t matter what job is waiting for Khin Nyunt, he has many cases of crimes against humanity he must answer for. The 2008 so called constitution must be ruled illegal and warrants for the arrest of Khin Nyut and his master in crime Than Shwe must be issued.
    Somebody probably a Junta apologist had the temerity to say on one of the site’s we must forget Burma’s dark past.
    Those people who have been victims of the Khin Nyut’s time as Burma’s feared intelligence chief must never be forgotten; whatever he does now can never erase the cruelty he presided over. Many lives of those who survived the time of Khin Nyut’s time of his inhumanity to his own people have been changed for ever.

  4. Terry Evans says:

    No surprise really as Burma is now run, for the most part, by psychopaths who have no consciences. They suffer no remorse, no guilt, no shame. They look normal from the outside, and you can only really know them by the effects of their actions. In short, they are quite capable of appearing affable, and their PR machines are well-tuned to make it look like these psychopaths “care.”

  5. Denys Goldthorpe says:

    Can anyone see the blood on Khin Nyut’s hands? Just how many people have been butchered because of him? You can see it in this photo.

  6. tocharian says:

    Khin Nyunt, Khun Sa, .. all the same ex- drug-lords and charlatans. Corruption and patronage is still the name of the game in the oligarchical Burma.

  7. Salai Laimi says:

    $5000.00 monthly offer for a criminal whose release from a prison is not even month old. All is already orchestrated before Khin Nyunt was released. Do you think Myanmar is now walking genuine toward democracy? I support the idea of “not turning back from democracy” but can not think of the reformation of old Khin Nyunt back in new Burma.

  8. ko lay says:

    khin nyunt, ex spy chief, nasty old man of myanma,power n money crazy man, kicked out by than shwe, he should be in jail, for him many people was in jail for without any fault, KHIN NYUNT IS HITLER OF BURMA,

  9. Johnathan Blair says:

    Politic is a funny thing. Tyranny of the strong over the weak shall be forgiven, in the name of democratization. I guess its all in the game.

  10. Sai Lin Kan says:

    The Thein Sein Government needs to prosecute corrupted Than Shwe regime and their cronies. At the moment, Thein Shwe was just puppet in view of Burmese peoples unless he sends all criminals from Than Shwe regime to court.
    Khin Shwe is one of the previous regime benefactors and his wealth is illegally obtained by given bribe and share to Than Shwe regime.
    I don’t know whether this money (3.7 Millions Kyat and 1 Billion Kyat) come from Khin Shwe himself or from the secretive group Khin Shwe represent. It looks like pension for Khin Nyunt. Otherwise, Than Shwe tries to shut Khin Nyunt mouth. Khin Shwe must be acting bridge between old regime and current Government. I hope exile media group has record of individual crime of Than Shwe regime.

  11. Dream says:

    I don’t think Khin Shwe pay him USD 5,000.00 per month to do religious work,

    But it is positive that rich man like Khin Shwe sees it fit to punt on Khin Nyunt,the generals declared changes might be a little more genuine,but it all depends on the big chief!

  12. Tettoe Aung says:

    Who ever said that ‘crime does not pay’ must have never heard of a country called Burma and those people in the positions called ‘military generals’. In Burma, petty crimes may not pay but big crimes like ‘genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and all forms of human rights abuses’ seems to pay after all. If people don’t know the connection behind Khin Shwe and Khin Nyunt they might thought that Khin Shwe is doing something good for Khin Nyunt but without Khin Nyunt, Khin Shwe would never have been where he is today. Who was the benefactor of Khin Nyunt? Who is the benefactor of Khin Shwe? Who is the ‘man of honour’ behind these two? Follow the link and one will find out why $5,000 a month for Khin Nyunt is just ‘chicken feed’ for Khin Shwe.

  13. shwe says:

    thief khin shwe and khin nyunt

    u have to return what u stole from the country





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