YANGON: Myanmar’s President Htin Kyaw resigned suddenly on Wednesday leaving the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi without a close confidant and political ally as she faces rising international opprobrium over the Rakhine crisis. The president, an old school friend of Suu Kyi, served as her proxy in an office she was barred from occupying under Myanmar’s military-drafted constitution. His role was largely ceremonial with Suu Kyi calling the shots within her civilian administration, under the self-appointed title of State Counselor. But he was nonetheless the country’s head of state and a key domestic ally for Suu Kyi within her party. “Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw resigned on March 21, 2018,” a statement on the president’s official Facebook page said.

Source: Manila Times March 21, 2018 17:37 UTC