Chin Sian Thang

Who is Chin Sian Thang?

Chin Sian Thang is chairman of the Zomi National Congress, a political party in Burma. Elected as a member of Parliament during Burma’s ill-fated 1990 elections, he has worked diligently for many years in defiance of the country’s ruling junta. During the 1960s, Chin Sian Thang served as a leader of the Chin Ethnic Student Union while a student at Rangoon University. He is a pro-democracy activist and a strong opponent of Burma Socialist Program Party and Ne Win dictatorship. He has been imprisoned on at least six occasions by successive military regimes for his political activities between 1972 and 1999. In each instance, he served two years, during which he was subjected to brutal interrogations that led to permanent health problems.

He also serves as a member of the Committee Representing People’s Parliament, a group supported by 251 candidates elected in 1990. Considered a moderate ethnic leader, Chin Sian Thang heavily promotes the CRPP as a rallying point for Burmese activists and ethnic leaders.He is the most outspoken elected ethnic leader in Burma. He is a graduate of Rangoon University in Law degrees. He is the coauthor of "In Burma, a Cry for U.N. Help"