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Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno, The New York Times
Published: 04 Jul 2021 10:56 AM BdST
Updated: 04 Jul 2021 10:56 AM BdST Ko Pyae Lyan Aung, a professional soccer player, on a practice field in Osaka, Japan, June 26, 2021. After defying Myanmar’s military rulers at a soccer match, Pyae Lyan Aung decided to seek asylum. But he was being watched. (Shiho Fukada/The New York Times)
The soccer player’s plane was at the gate. Ahead of him stood his last chance at safety. );
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The athlete, Ko Pyae Lyan Aung, had come to Japan with Myanmar’s national team. On the field, before the first match, he had flashed a gesture of defiance the three-finger salute made famous by “The Hunger Games” against the military junta that had ousted his country’s elected government. He was now afraid of what might happen if he returned home.
Swimmer calls for expulsion of junta-led Myanmar from Olympics Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Myanmar swimmer Win Htet Oo is boycotting Tokyo Olympics in protest against the military junta ruling Myanmar. | REUTERS
Reuters May 4, 2021
Melbourne – A leading Myanmar swimmer has called for an international boycott of his country s Olympic committee, branding it a puppet of the Southeast Asian nation s military rulers.
Australia-based Win Htet Oo said he had given up his dream of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the junta which seized power in Myanmar on Feb. 1 and has killed hundreds in a crackdown on dissent.
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MELBOURNE A leading Myanmar swimmer has called for an international boycott of his country’s Olympic committee, branding it a “puppet” of the southeast Asian nation’s military rulers.
Australia-based Win Htet Oo said he had given up his dream of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the junta which seized power in Myanmar on Feb. 1 and has killed hundreds in a crackdown on dissent.
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“I decided to reject any participation to the Tokyo Olympic Games under the auspices of the Myanmar Olympic Committee because I believe the Myanmar Olympic Committee is a puppet Olympic committee of the military regime in Myanmar which has been accused of genocide,” Win Htet Oo told Reuters in Melbourne on Monday.