By Ra Wai / MPA
U Win Khaing, the former Union Minister of Electricity and Energy under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, died in Mandalay just 11 days after receiving amnesty from the ruling junta.
According to the Yangon Engineer Community, the former minister passed away around 10 p.m. on Friday while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Mandalay General Hospital.
An engineer from the Myanmar Engineering Association explained to MPA, “We heard last night that he had passed away. U Win Khaing was a prominent engineer who became a successful company owner, achieving his wealth in an honest and straightforward way, even under the previous military regime. When the NLD government came into power, he accepted the ministerial role of serving the country. If he had chosen to surrender and kneel to the junta, he could have been released much earlier, but he chose to stand firm instead.”
The junta granted U Win Khaing amnesty on Oct 29, while he was receiving medical treatment at Mandalay General Hospital from Mandalay’s Oe Bo Prison due to his deteriorating health condition.
A Monywa-based political activist commented, “Like Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, when prisoners’ health becomes critical as they receive insufficient medical care while incarcerated, they are only sent to the hospital at the last moment. Then the junta releases them on amnesty, creating a show of goodwill, as they did with U Win Khaing.”
A funeral service for U Win Khaing was held on Saturday at 11 AM in the Kyar Ni Kan Cemetery, Mandalay.
During the NLD government’s tenure, U Win Khaing was initially appointed Minister of Construction and later reassigned as Minister of Electricity and Energy. He was arrested on the day of the military coup and sentenced to 28 years in prison under questionable charges.
U Win Khaing, who also served as President of the Myanmar Engineering Association, was 74 at the time of his passing.
