On March 27, Myanmar‘s Military Day, junta security forces used a deadly and violent crackdown on unarmed civilians across the country, resulting in the tragic deaths of 114 people known to have died in more than 40 towns and cities in Myanmar. On the same day, the Miss Grand International pageant held its finals in Bangkok, Thailand, where Myanmar beauty Han Lay spoke, thanking the organizers for the platform and tearfully asking for help from the international community. She said that it was very difficult for her to stand on the stage, and that she was sorry that many people from her country had died during the demonstrations.
After Myanmar’s military staged a coup and arrested civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, there has been a wave of demonstrations across the country. At least 144 civilians were killed in the violence on Saturday alone, Myanmar’s Military Day, as security forces fired heavily to suppress anti-coup demonstrations.
Han Lei, one of the final 20 finalists in the competition, took the stage on behalf of Myanmar to speak for her countrymen, “Today in my country, Myanmar …… As I speak from the stage, more than 100 people have died today. I feel very sad for them, that they lost their lives.” She choked back tears several times during her speech on stage.
Hanley said, “People in Myanmar took to the streets for democracy, and I was one of them, and now I’m taking to the stage for democracy.” She thanked the organizers of Miss Universal International for giving her the opportunity to make her voice heard internationally through this platform. Hanlei said, “Please help Myanmar, we need urgent international support right now.”
Han Lei said that as the people take to the streets to fight for democracy, she also wants to make an appeal for democracy on stage, expecting foreign countries to lend a helping hand to Myanmar. She ended her speech by singing Michael Jackson’s famous song “Heal the World.
Han Lei, who is studying psychology at Yangon University in Myanmar, also posted on her Instagram account that some of her classmates have been detained since the coup. She wrote, “In a democratic country, people must be able to speak out, our voices must be heard. But at the moment in Burma we don’t have freedom, it’s a violation of human rights. Free our students!”
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