Myanmar model granted asylum in Canada

A Myanmar fashion model who was denied entry to Thailand and feared for her arrest by the military government in Yangon if she was forced back home from exile has flown to Canada, which she says has granted her asylum.

According to Archayon Kraithong, a deputy commissioner of Thailand's Immigration Bureau, Thaw Nandar Aung, also known as Han Lay, left a flight from Bangkok s Suvarnabhumi airport early on Wednesday. He said he was not authorised to reveal her destination.

Thaw Nandar Aung told the US government-funded radio broadcaster Radio Free Asia she was headed to Canada on Tuesday after being granted political asylum there with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR and the Canadian Embassy in Thailand.

Everything happened so fast, and I only have a few pieces of clothing. She said that I will have to go along with what they have planned for me.

I have spoken out for Myanmar wherever I go. While I was in Thailand, I talked to the media about my country. I'm going to have more opportunities to speak out on the issue because Canada is a safe place for me. I know there is a large Myanmar community in Canada, so I am sure I will be able to carry on the struggle for Myanmar with their help. Thaw Nandar Aung had been stuck at Bangkok Airport after Thai authorities denied her entry when she arrived in Vietnam on September 21 after a short trip to Vietnam. She had been in Thailand but had to leave and enter again in order to extend her stay.

She met UNHCR representatives at the airport in an effort to avoid being sent back to Myanmar. People denied entry to Thailand are usually deported to their last point of departure, but the UN agency advised that she would be arrested in Vietnam and then retrived to Myanmar. A Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman said she had been denied entry into Thailand because of an issue with her travel document Thaw Nandar Aung denounced her country's military rulers last year from the stage of the Miss Grand International beauty pageant held in Bangkok. She accused them of selfishness and abusing their power for using lethal force to crush peaceful protests, and appealed for international help for her country.

Myanmar s military took power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and has been heavily affected by widespread opposition to its rule. The charges they carry carry penalties from three years imprisonment to death include actors and other celebrities.

In July, authorities executed four activists accused of involvement with terrorist activities. UN experts have described the country's violence as a civil war.

Thaw Nandar Aung was charged with sedition in September last year for speaking out against the military takeover at the pageant and online. The maximum penalty for the charge is 20 years in prison.

The tactic was used against other critics, according to the New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch, which accused Myanmar's military government of revoking or otherwise interfering with Thaw Nandar Aung's passport, making her stateless when she flew back from Vietnam to Thailand.

There is no doubt that what transpired was a trap to try and force Han Lay to return to Myanmar, where she would have to face immediate arrest, likely abuse in detention and imprisonment, according to Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director. She got good advice to stay put at the airport and wait for the kind of protection she needed. This was a victory for refugee protection and rights.