Who Is Han Lay? 10 Things To Know About The Myanmar Model

Who Is Han Lay? : Han Lay is a model from Myanmar. She did not win the Miss Grand International beauty pageant held last week where she spoke out against the alleged atrocities her country's military recently committed.

This made many applaud the model's courage and she was even called one of the most impassioned contestants. She said that people in Myanmar are dying and that her country needed urgent international help. The 22-year-old model made it to the headlines with her head turning speech.

Here's what we know about Han Lay

1. More than a month ago, Han Lay was on the streets of Myanmar's largest city, Yangon protesting against the military. The unrest began when the military seized control of the country, undoing the elections where Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won by a landslide.
2. Han Lay is a student of psychology at the University of Yangon. She decided to use the beauty pageant platform to speak about her homeland on an international level.
3. While on a telephone interview from Bangkok, she told BBC that in Myanmar, journalists are detained, hence she decided to speak out. Now, she is concerned that the speech could have her put on the military's radar and has decided to stay in Thailand at least for the next three months. She said that she always knew that she was putting herself at a risk and was aware that she would have to extend her stay in Thailand, where she went to participate in the beauty pageant.
4. Ever since she gave her speech, Han Lay has been receiving threatening comments on her social media handles. However, the military or other officials have not yet contacted her as per reports. She confessed that she is all the more scared because arrest warrants against 18 celebrities, social media influencers and journalists were issued last week for speaking out against the coup.
5. Many students with whom the model was protesting were arrested in the military crackdown. Lay claimed that another friend of hers who wasn't even protesting but went to drink some coffee was shot dead. Though her family is safe but communication with them is sporadic as internet is constantly being cut in Myanmar. The name of her town has not been published by any leading newspaper to protect her family members.
6. Pageant participants have often preferred to remain apolitical but Han Lay has put her political views to the fore including direct criticism of the military. She considers speaking out as her duty and considers Suu Kyi as her greatest inspiration.
7. Han Lay initially planned on training to be a flight attendant after graduating but at the moment she said she is not sure as to which path she should choose. Some have even suggested her to enter politics but she doesn't think it's for her.
8. Lay wants the UN to take action urgently as she believes that the Myanmar military is doing crimes against humanity.
9. Lay opined that her country people want their leader back and they want its democracy back..
10. The young student cum model is determined to keep using her voice to speak out against the injustices the citizens of Myanmar have been facing, she said.