Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, the Chief Minister of Mandalay Region and Vice Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), passed away at Mandalay General Hospital on October 7, at around 3:00 AM.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung had been battling cancer, and he passed away due to the lack of access to regular medical treatment, according to a Mandalay Region parliamentarian based in a revolutionary area.
“Although he had cancer, his death was not directly due to cancer but because of not receiving regular treatment. He had a high fever and difficulty breathing. It was around the first of this month. He couldn’t even receive his cancer treatment,” the parliamentarian told MPA.
His body has been transported to his family home in Kywe Se Kan, Mandalay, where preparations for his funeral are being made.
“He was a politician who stood firm in his beliefs for the country and the people until the end. He was a leader who could guide his colleagues and followers with affection and trust. This is an irreplaceable loss,” the parliamentarian added.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung was 72 years old at the time of his death.
He had been abducted on February 1, 2021, following the military coup and was unlawfully sentenced to a total of 29 years in prison by the military junta on charges including corruption, causing harm to public interests, violating natural disaster management laws, election fraud, and abuse of power in the 2020 election.
Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who had been unlawfully imprisoned by the military, was suffering from leukemia. His condition worsened in September, and he was transferred from Obo Prison to Mandalay General Hospital, where he passed away around 3:00 AM on October 7.
Although Dr. Zaw Myint Maung was first elected as an NLD representative for Amarapura Township in the 1990 election, the then-ruler State Law and Order Restoration Council refused to transfer power and arrested him in November of that year, illegally sentencing him to 19 years in prison.
He was released in February 2009 and participated in the 2012 by-election alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, winning a seat in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) for Kyaukpadaung Township.
In the 2015 general election, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung was elected as a member of parliament for the Mandalay Region Hluttaw, representing Amarapura Township, and served as the Chief Minister of the Mandalay Region.
