'Miss Myanmar' Criticizing Military Atrocities Faces Risk of Repatriation to Home Country

Last Year at International Beauty Pageant, Criticized Military Junta... Revealed Myanmar Atrocities
High Possibility of Passport Invalidation by Military Junta

According to local media on the 20th, 11 children were killed and 17 injured due to attacks by the military junta. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Miss Myanmar, who participated in the 2021 international beauty pageant and exposed the atrocities of the coup military, is now at risk of being repatriated to her home country.

According to the Bangkok Post and foreign media on the 23rd, the Thai Immigration Bureau announced the previous day that Han Lay, Miss Myanmar 2020, who was denied entry, has been staying at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport since the 21st.

Han Lay, who made public statements criticizing the military junta during the beauty pageant, has stayed in Thailand due to safety concerns and has not returned to Myanmar. However, after visiting Da Nang, Vietnam, she was denied re-entry into Thailand due to an invalid visa. Han Lay is now stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport, unable to leave or enter.

There were reports that she had been arrested, but it is known that she is not in detention. The Thai Immigration Bureau explained that Han Lay could be deported to her home country or travel to another destination with the approval of the airline she arrived on.

Foreign media reported that the Myanmar military may have invalidated Han Lay’s passport, leading to her denied entry. Earlier, the Myanmar military had issued an arrest warrant for her after she made statements criticizing the regime.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Han Lay is seeking asylum through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A representative of Han Lay said, "She wants to live in Thailand" and "She is waiting to find a way to continue staying in Thailand."

On March 27 last year, Han Lay appealed to the international community to help her homeland Myanmar during the final stage of the Miss Grand International pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand. This was about two months after the military coup on February 1.

In her speech of about two minutes, Han Lay tearfully appealed, "More than 100 people died in Myanmar today," and "Please help Myanmar."

Han Lay’s speech that day was widely reported by media around the world and caused a great stir. After participating in the beauty pageant, anticipating punishment from the military, she has stayed in Thailand without returning home.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.