Buddhist nationalists have applied for permission to hold a protest in Yangon against the appointment of Henry Van Thio, an ethnic Chin and a Christian, as vice president.The nomination of the hitherto unknown National League for Democracy MP came as a surprise to most last week, but the decision was widely welcomed by ethnic minority groups and political commentators as a step in the direction of national reconciliation. Extreme nationalist Buddhists, who have been advocating the protection of “race and religion”, have however not accepted the NLD leader’s choice.