A Myanmar fashion model who was denied entry to Thailand and feared 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.
Thaw Nandar Aung, also known as Han Lay, left on a flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport early on Wednesday, according to Archayon Kraithong, a deputy commissioner of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau. He said he was not authorised to reveal her destination.
Thaw Nandar Aung told the US-government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia on Tuesday that she was headed to Canada after being granted political asylum there with the assistance of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) and the Canadian embassy in Thailand.
“Everything happened so fast, and I only have a few pieces of clothing. So I will have to go along with what they have planned for me,” she said.
“I have spoken out for Myanmar wherever I go. I have talked to the media about my country while I was staying in Thailand. Since Canada is a safe place for me, I will have more opportunities to speak out on the issue. And as you know, there is a large Myanmar community in Canada, so I’m sure I’ll be able to carry on the struggle for Myanmar with their help.”
Thaw Nandar Aung had been stuck at the Bangkok airport after Thai authorities denied her entry when she arrived on 21 September from a short trip to Vietnam. She had been living in Thailand but needed to leave and enter again in order to extend her stay.
While at the airport she met UNHCR representatives 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 her she would be arrested in Vietnam and then repatriated to Myanmar. A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson said she had been denied entry into Thailand “due to 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 seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and has cracked down heavily on widespread opposition to its rule. Critics, including actors and other celebrities, have been arrested on charges that carry penalties ranging from three years’ imprisonment to death.
In July, authorities executed four activists who were accused of involvement with terrorist activities, and UN experts have described the country’s violence as a civil war.
Thaw Nandar Aung said she was charged in absentia in September last year with sedition for speaking out against the military takeover at the pageant and online. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch accused Myanmar’s military government of revoking or otherwise interfering with Thaw Nandar Aung’s passport, making her “the victim of a deliberate political act by the junta to make her stateless when she flew back from Vietnam to Thailand”. It said the tactic was used against other critics as well.
“There is no doubt that what transpired was a trap to try to force Han Lay to return to Myanmar, where she would have faced immediate arrest, likely abuse in detention, and imprisonment,” Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy Asia director said in an emailed statement. “Fortunately, she got good advice to stay put at the airport, and wait for the kind of protection she needed. This was a victory for rights, and refugee protection.”
