NLD leadership irked by media’s Htin Kyaw ‘driver’ gaff

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NLD leadership irked by media’s Htin Kyaw ‘driver’ gaff

YANGON: A source in the National League for Democracy said senior members of the party are embarrassed by international news outlets’ incorrect branding of President-elect Htin Kyaw as Aung San Suu Kyi's “former driver", said an NLD source, as reported by The Irrawaddy.

In reality, Htin Kyaw is a writer and an executive member of a Suu Kyi-led charity, said the source who wished to remain anonymous.

The NLD source said the reference caused embarrassment to senior members of the NLD, including the chairwoman.

“It is inappropriate to mention the country’s president as a driver,” he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. “The media shouldn’t write as [they] like. The way [they] write pisses off the leadership,” he added.

It should be noted that before his name was put forward for the presidency, Htin Kyaw was relatively unknown in Myanmar’s political scene, leading news outlets to scramble for biographical details in the wake of his nomination; the NLD did not release a statement on his personal background until about six hours after the announcement, by which time, errors had already become widespread.

The sting felt by party members over the incorrect label can perhaps be traced back to stories written over 15 years ago, when Htin Kyaw found himself on the receiving end of harsh words by the military regime.

The NLD source said that articles written by the country’s military intelligence in the early 2000s reportedly also described Htin Kyaw’s role as that of a “driver.” At that time, the role was offered in an attempt to discredit him “as he sometimes drove for [suu Kyi],” he explained.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/155893

-- Thai PBS 2016-03-19