Htin Kyaw (Burmese: ထင်ကျော်, pronounced [tʰɪ̀ɴ tɕɔ̀] or [tʰɪ̀ɴ dʑɔ̀]; born 20 July 1946) is a Burmese politician, writer and scholar who served as the ninth president of Myanmar from 2016 until his resignation in 2018. He was the first elected president to hold the office with no ties to the military since the 1962 coup d'état. The second son of scholar Min Thu Wun, Htin Kyaw had held various positions in the education, planning and treasury ministries in prior governments.
The ethnic Mon-Bamar politician is viewed as an important ally of the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is constitutionally barred from the presidency.
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Early life and education
Htin Kyaw was born in Rangoon, British Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), to the late Burmese scholar and poet Min Thu Wun and Kyi Kyi. His father was of Mon descent. His childhood name given by his father was Dala Ban, a royal name of ancient Mon commanders. (He later used it as his pen name).