Zaw Htay

Zaw Htay (Burmese: ဇော်ဌေး, also known as Hmuu Zaw) was a spokesman of the Myanmar government[1] who served as the director general of the State Counsellor's Office from April 2016 to February 2021. He had previously served as the presidential spokesman of the Myanmar Office of the President from April 2011 to April 2016 under President Thein Sein.[2][3][4][5]

In this Burmese name, the given name is Zaw Htay. There is no family name.
Zaw Htay
ဇော်ဌေး
Director general of Myannar State Counsellor's Office
In office
April 2016 – 1 February 2021
PresidentHtin Kyaw
Win Myint
State CounsellorAung San Suu Kyi
Spokesman of Myanmar President Office
In office
April 2011 – April 2016
PresidentThein Sein
Personal details
BornMagway, Myanmar
NationalityBurmese
Military service
Allegiance Burma
Branch/serviceMyanmar Army
Rank Major

Career

A graduate of the 37th intake of the Defense Services Academy, Zaw Htay served in the Myanmar Army and went on to join the military regime then known as the State Peace and Development Council. He subsequently worked in the office of Prime Minister General Soe Win. After Soe Win died in 2007, Zaw Htay retired from the military with the rank of major and joined the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).[6]

He became the director of the Office of the President under Thein Sein.[2]

Under the pen name Hmuu Zaw, he became known for his active presence on social media. He used his Facebook account to spar with NLD supporters and occasionally contributed articles to local media outlets, bolstering the reputation of Thein Sein and the Myanmar military. His critics describe him as a strong advocate of former president Thein Sein.[2]

Aung San Suu Kyi picked Zaw Htay to be her spokesman. He was promated as deputy director general of the president office under Htin Kyaw in April 2016[2] and appointed as director general of the Union Peace Formation[7] under the State Counsellor's Office in 2016.

As a government spokesperson, Zaw Htay spoke the attitudes of the NLD government in regularly held press at Presidential Palace.[8] In the run-up to and after the election, Zaw Htay from the government side and Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun from the Tatmadaw side, who were his weekly counterparts, often expressed their concerns at press conferences. At a press conference in January 2021, Zaw Htay said politicial parties and organizations questioning the result of the recent elections are committing political suicide.[9]

After the military coup on 1 February 2021, Zaw Htay has been out of view and detained. He was released in June 2021.[8]

References
  1. "Myanmar's Civilian, Military Leaders Meet, Vow to 'Crush' Rakhine Rebels". VOA. 7 January 2019.
  2. "Inflammatory Spokesman Zaw Htay Promoted Within President's Office Leadership". The Irrawaddy. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  3. "Meet Myanmar's new presidential spokesman, same as the old presidential spokesman". Coconuts. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  4. "Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay". Radio Free Asia. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  5. "U Zaw Htay: 'If they are going to harm you, you can shoot them'". Frontier Myanmar. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  6. "Opinion | Where Is Spokesman U Zaw Htay?". The Irrawaddy. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  7. "Director-General U Zaw Htay explains current national situation, including COVID-19 at press meet".
  8. "Spokesman Released" (in Burmese).
  9. "politicial parties and organizations questioning the result of the recent elections are committing political suicide".
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