Shwe Maung (Burmese: ရွှေမောင်; born 30 June 1965), also known by his Islamic name Abdul Razak,[1] is a Rohingya rights activist in Myanmar and politician who served as a member of parliament in the House of Representatives for Buthidaung constituency from 2011 to 2016.[2][3]

Shwe Maung
ရွှေမောင်
Member of the Pyithu Hluttaw
In office
31 January 2011 – 29 January 2016
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAung Thaung Shwe
ConstituencyButhidaung Township
Personal details
Born (1965-06-30) 30 June 1965 (age 59)
Buthidaung, Arakan, Burma
NationalityBurmese
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Union Solidarity and Development Party (2009–2015)
SpouseTin Tin Win
ChildrenShwe Yi Win
Min Shwe Maung Htet
Min Sithu Maung
Parent(s)Abdul Hardi (father)
Aye Sein (mother)
Residence(s)Pazundaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar
OccupationHuman rights activist, politician

Early life and family

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Shwe Maung was born in Buthidaung, Rakhine State, to Rohingya Muslim parents, Abdul Hadi and Aye Sein. Although his parents are Myanmar citizens, the Union Election Commission of Myanmar ruled that they were not in order to bar U Shwe Maung from the 2015 General Election.[4]

Political career

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U Shwe Maung is a former member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party. He served political development since 2010, Rohingya rights and prospects for reconciliation in Rakhine State.[5][6]

In the 2010 Myanmar general election, he contested the Buthidaung Township constituency and won a House of Representatives seat, the country's lower house. He is a one of Rohingya member in the Myanmar's parliament.[7]

During his time in parliament, he was a member of the Reform and Modernization Assessment Committee. He was deemed ineligible to run for re-election due to supposed issues of citizenship, Myanmar's parliament barred from contesting 2015 Myanmar general election.[8][9]

Shwe Maung currently serves as a board member of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and founding member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB), also serving as President of the Arakan Institute for Peace and Human Rights (AiPAH, formerly the Arakan Institute for Peace and Development, AiPAD).[10][11]

On 8 September 2017, police captain of Buthidaung Police Station opened a case against Shwe Maung under the Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly supporting the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and defending them via his Facebook page. U Shwe Maung requested State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar Military Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing via his Facebook Page to protect innocent Rohingya people from his constituency from being killed by Myanmar Security Forces.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b San Yamin Aung (8 September 2017). "Police Open Case Against Former Buthidaung MP". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  2. ^ Pyithu Hluttaw Gov Shwe Maung's MP Profile
  3. ^ "Sitting Rohingya MP in Myanmar plans to appeal election ban". Reuters. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Rohingya groups in Europe angered by election ban on candidates". Mizzima. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  5. ^ "U Shwe Maung on Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar". YouTube. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Burma: Govt moves to silence Rohingya MP after homes torched". World Observer Online. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Shwe Maung may be 'responsible for defamation' over police allegations, says Ye Htut". Arakan Rohingya Union. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. ^ "U Shwe Maung, former USDP MP: 'This is illogical and ridiculous'". Frontier Myanmar. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Myanmar's Disenfranchised Rohingya". burmamuslims.org. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Board Members". ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Berlin Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief". ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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