The Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) on Thursday backed the campaign for Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun to remain in his role as Myanmar’s permanent representative to the U.N. ahead of the Credentials Committee’s decision on whether he should continue in the post he has held since 2020.
“Replacing Kyaw Moe Tun with a regime-appointed ambassador would give the regime the right to represent Myanmar,” Hnin Hnin Hmway, DPNS joint general secretary, told DVB in an interview from Thailand’s Mae Sot, along the Thai-Myanmar border, on Sept. 17.
This endorsement comes ahead of a support rally for Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, scheduled to take place outside of the U.N. headquarters in New York City, on Sept. 19.
“[Kyaw Moe Tun] has spoken out for the people the military have tried to silence, including my mother, Aung San Suu Kyi, political prisoners, and millions across Burma. Now our voices matter for him,” Aris said in a video message posted to his social media account on Sept. 7.
The nine-member U.N. Credentials Committee includes the three permanent Security Council members: U.S., China, Russia, along with newly-appointed members: Bahamas, Belgium, Benin, Jamaica, Uganda, and Vanuatu.
It will evaluate representation disputes following the 81st U.N. General Assembly session, which takes place Sept. 18-28.
The regime in Naypyidaw announced on Sept. 13 that it has revoked the status of Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, accusing him of carrying out illegal activities and engaging in civil service misconduct.
It seeks to replace him with Aung Thurein, a former colonel who served in the military from the age of 18 until he was chosen for this post, according to his official biography submitted to the U.N. on May 12, 2021.
Naypyidaw first dismissed Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun on Feb. 27, 2021, following the military coup.
It alleged that he had “abused” his mandate after he urged all U.N. member states to “strongly condemn” the coup, and refuse to recognize the regime at the U.N. General Assembly.
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun was originally appointed to represent Myanmar at the U.N. by the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2020, months before the coup.
The DPNS is a member of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), an advisory body to the National Unity Government (NUG)—an interim administration representing lawmakers ousted in the 2021 coup.
Hnin Hnin Hmway is a member of the NUCC consultative committee. The DPNS was founded by pro-democracy activists in October 1988, two months after the nationwide pro-democracy uprising on Aug. 8, 1988.
To avoid arrest or persecution after the 2021 coup, DPNS members fled to resistance-controlled areas of Myanmar or into exile. The regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) disbanded the DPNS for “failing to re-register” in 2023, alongside the NLD.
