When you look at Han Lay’s Instagram feed it is likely to be exhausting to imagine that she faces a loss of life sentence in her residence nation of Myanmar.
Her feed captures her life as a magnificence queen – stuffed with studio shoots and elaborate dinners.
But the 23-year-old hasn’t been residence or seen her household since final February after her magnificence pageant speech in regards to the army coup swept throughout social media.
Now residing in Canada, the place she says she can be granted everlasting residency, she spoke to Sky News about her life in exile and the worth she has paid for freedom.
After making her speech, Han Lay stated she confronted threats from the army.
“They tried to threaten me, the people from the military said ‘girl if you come back to Myanmar you’ll definitely be in jail’… they threatened me on social media and went to my family’s home,” she stated.
She stated she was sentenced by Myanmar’s army to both 20 years in jail, life in jail and even execution, for going towards the nation and the federal government.
“Firstly I was really scared because I was only 21 years old at that time and I was really scared that I was facing that type of situation. I was just a young girl.”
But now residing in Canada, she worries for her household again residence in Myanmar.
Han Lay grew up within the Burmese metropolis of Mawlamyine, round 300km southeast of Yangon.
Having a voice was vital to her as she grew to become extra concerned within the magnificence pageant trade, which led to her being topped Miss Grand Myanmar 2020.
“I was always interested in modelling since I was young in my country. I think beauty queens have more responsibility and have more of a voice than a model. They have the duty of the country and so I was interested in that,” she stated.
Last February, every week earlier than Ms Lay was because of seem in Thailand on the Miss Grand International pageant, the Myanmar army seized energy from the federal government.
In the times earlier than her flight, Han Lay joined these peacefully protesting towards the coup.
She stated she did not inform her mother and father that she would communicate in regards to the state of affairs in Myanmar in her speech as she knew they might be frightened.
“When I arrived in Thailand the electricity in my country was cut off, the power cut off. So I thought I had to share about what was going on in my country…I was really nervous but I was so excited and decided okay I must be brave for my country and for my people,” she stated.
In her pageant speech, Han Lay appeared teary and begged the world to assist Myanmar.
“There are so many people dying,” she stated, because the judges and viewers cried.
At that second she realised she couldn’t return to Myanmar, and the results did not cease there.
Han Lay stated the army turned up at her household residence and informed her mum that she should deliver her daughter residence to face her jail sentence.
Knowing she could not return residence, Han Lay started to make preparations to remain in Thailand, however she was unprepared.
“The only thing in my luggage was big designer ball gowns,” she stated. For the subsequent yr and a half, she stayed in Thailand working for the pageant.
But in September, Han Lay was refused entry again into Thailand after leaving the nation for a brief three-day journey to Vietnam, which she says she was suggested to do with the intention to renew her visa.
Han Lay was refused entry again into Thailand after leaving the nation for a brief three-day journey to Vietnam, which she says she was suggested to do with the intention to renew her visa.
Thai authorities stated her visa was invalid and she or he informed Sky News she was the topic of an Interpol discover.
She spent one evening in a detention room on the airport, fearing that she is likely to be despatched again to Myanmar. After hours in limbo, she managed to get on a flight to Canada.
Despite her household remaining frightened about her security, Ms Lay stated she feels secure now and is scared for individuals who are nonetheless residing in Myanmar beneath the army’s rule.
She stated: “They keep worrying all the time, but now it is time for me to worry because they are in Myanmar… the military is so brutal. I really worry about my family.
“In Myanmar now we have now no freedom.”
The AAPB says over 12,663 individuals are both nonetheless in detention or have been sentenced by the junta, whereas Amnesty International, says the army in Myanmar targets “anyone who speaks out against injustice in the country”.
Han Lay believes the army has focused influencers like herself, who’ve massive social media followings.
“Influencers have really great power. They have so many fans and they can share what is really happening in Myanmar. So the military has been trying to focus on influencers and to stop sharing information to the international community.”
She added that whereas some have fled the nation like her, others who stay in Myanmar are too afraid to talk out in regards to the regime as a result of their households have been threatened by the army.
The present state of affairs nonetheless scares Han Lay.
“In Myanmar now it is a really, really terrible situation. It’s a crazy situation. In Myanmar now we have no freedom and we can’t do anything,” she stated.
While Han Lay desires to attend college in Canada, she hopes that sooner or later she will return residence.
But for now, residing in exile, she misses her household and appears ahead to the day when she will eat her mum’s home made Burmese rice and curry once more.
Myanmar’s army didn’t reply to a Sky News request to touch upon Han Lay’s claims.
Source: information.sky.com”