Christian Lawmaker Elected as Vice President of Myanmar

File photo of Major Henvy Van Thio, the Vice President of Myanmar in Chin traditional jacket giving an interview with 7Day Daily News.

Henry Van Thio, a devout Christian lawmaker and part time preacher from Christian majority Chin state bordering Indian state of Mizoram has been elected as one of the Vice Presidents of the Union of Myanmar on March 10.

58-year-old Henry Van Thio belongs to Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party that won a landslide victory at the just concluded general election. He was elected as an Upper House (Amotha Hluttaw – House of Nationalities) Member of Parliament from Thantlang township which is constituency number 3 of Chin state.

Van Thio is a native of Thangtlang (also spelled Htantlang) town, in an impoverished and isolated mountainous Chin State in Western part of Myanmar bordering India. He belongs to Chin ethnic tribe inhabiting Chin state and its surrounding states and are closely related to Kukis and Mizos of India who are often clubbed together by linguists are Kuki-Chin-Mizo, who are majority Christians due to the missionary works among them by Presbyterians, Baptists and Evangelical missionaries from Europe and America.

This devout Christian was an army officer and went all the way to Major position. Early in his career he had worked as an employee of the Ministry of Industry a public servant before joining the army.

Van Thio holds a Bechelor of Arts (Geography) from Mandalay University and Diploma in Law from Yangon University. He is married to Dr. Shwe Hlwan and has one daughter and two sons.

File photo of the newly elected Myanmar Vice President Henvy Van Thio Preaching at a church.

As a devout Christian, whenever given a chance he preaches at churches in the country and abroad.

Upon offering this coveted post, Van Thio expressed his surprised and happiness at the offer and praised the Nobel Laureate for her consideration to the ethnic people.

"I was really surprised at that time (when the offered came). I didn't expect that position; I was just expecting to do the usual work as a usual MP for my constituency. Then when they called me and asked my desire to serve as vice-president, I was very excited. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is very considerate of ethnic people," he said.

"I believe that if a duty is on my shoulders, I'll do my best," he added.

Myanmar with about 51 million population is an overwhelmingly Buddhist country who make up about 80 percent of the population, Christians who make up about 7 percent are mostly ethnic people which include majority Chin, Kachin and others, according to Pew Research.

Christians faced much persecution during the military regime, and as the country is transiting to a democratic country, albeit 25 percent Parliament seats still being controlled by the Army, the new civilian government gives much hope to the rebuilding and reconciliation of various people, especially ethnic people who often accused the junta of practicing ethnic cleansing in the past.