Myanmar's new Parliament appoints Thein Sein as president

Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein was chosen on Friday to become the military-run country's first civilian president in half a century, a government source said, a cosmetic shift that does little to end the army's dominance in politics.

Thein Sein, 65, is a career soldier who joined the military junta in 1997 when it was reorganised. He replaced General Soe Win as premier in 2007 and has been the regime's international face at regional forums.