Miss Myanmar speaks out against military junta 3 minutes read
By Ramón Abarca
Bangkok, May 28 (EFE).- Aged just 22, Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay joined the front lines of the anti-coup protests in her country, and has decided to use her international presence to send a strong message against the military junta, like other Burmese beauty queens.
In an interview to EFE from Bangkok – where she has been living since March – the model and psychology student said that the situation in her country was getting progressively worse and the military was “killing people with heavy weapons,” while many citizens had been forced to flee and go into hiding.
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Apr 08, 2021 01:15 AM EDT
Following her speech at the Miss Grand International (MGI) finals night in Bangkok almost a fortnight ago, it appears that Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay has landed herself in hot water.
Miss Myanmar reportedly gets arrest warrant for MGI speech
(Photo : Puddin/ Twitter Screenshot) Miss Myanmar Allegedly Receives Arrest Warrant Following Miss Grand International Speech Miss Myanmar HanLay got warrant & everyone related who support her campaign s families were banned to travel abroad.
Han Lay was given the opportunity to express her thoughts about the civil unrest in her home country during the show s segment We Stand by Your Side. While there has been no official confirmation, reports are circulated on Thai and Burmese pageant sites that Myanmar has released an arrest warrant for Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay. Those who sent her to Thailand are also included. The arrest was connected with her expression about her country s co
Voice of Myanmar: Han Lay in Bangkok. Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR: Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay, who has become an international sensation for speaking up against the military junta, says her activism is just the beginning.
“I will continue to be the voice of the people of Myanmar as I consider this my responsibility.
“I will use the international platform as well as social media to reach out to the international community, ” she said.
The lanky beauty queen has already risked arrests for taking part in street protests since February before she left for Bangkok last month.
As a celebrity, her open defiance attracted a huge following and, unfortunately, the army as well.
Photo: Reuters
Beauty pageants are notorious for contestants seemingly caring about nothing but world peace and complete harmony . Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay s response at the Miss Grand pageant in Thailand last week was also you guessed it about world peace. But along with world peace, she also took the opportunity to bring attention to her home country s ongoing democratic struggle and the atrocities committed by the state s military. Today in my country Myanmar . there are so many people dying, she said. Please help Myanmar. We need your urgent international help right now.
Just a week prior, Lay was on the bloody streets of Yangon, Myanmar s largest city where she s also a student at a university protesting against the military and for a democratic revolution. Early in February 2021, when the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy party was in power having won in the November 2020 general elections the military seized control of the state, using