YANGON - Myanmar's navy chief was sworn in on Wednesday as the second of the
country's two vice-presidents, filling a post vacated by a hardline ex-general
who stepped down in July due to ill health.
Admiral Nyan Tun, who is in his
late 50s, gave up his four-year command of the navy to take the oath of office
before Myanmar's fledgling parliament, state television reported, after his
nomination by military lawmakers.
The role of the vice-presidents
has been largely ceremonial, so it is unclear what influence Nyan Tun might
have on policy, although he will sit on bodies such as the National Defence and
Security Council and the Finance Commission.
Several people who knew Nyan Tun,
including some who had worked under him, described him as a political moderate.
The government is stacked with
retired military, including President Thein Sein himself, but it has embarked
on rapid reforms since he took office in March 2011 after 49 years of
authoritarian army rule.
The appointment of Nyan Tun
follows an unexplained, month-long gap since the retirement of predecessor Tin
Aung Myint Oo, a conservative widely seen as an opponent of the quasi-civilian
government's political and economic liberalisation drive.
On July 10, legislators nominated
former military intelligence chief Myint Swe to replace him, but that
nomination was quietly dropped. No official explanation has been given but
according to some reports his son is married to a foreigner and that made him ineligible
under the constitution.
The relevant clause in the
army-drafted constitution was widely seen as a way of stopping Nobel laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi, whose late husband, Michael Aris, was British, from assuming
high office. It has not stopped her from becoming a member of parliament,
however.
Several military sources, who
were not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters that parliament's armed
forces representatives had put forward other candidates before Nyan Tun, but
they all fell foul of various restrictions in the constitution.
Like many military leaders, Nyan
Tun graduated from the elite Defence Services Academy and as navy chief made a
number of official trips abroad.
Nyan Tun was the best choice
because he could advise President Thein Sein on regional security matters, said
a Southeast Asian military attache, who requested anonymity.
Reuters
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