Wai Hnin Pwint Thon
Encyclopedia
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is a Burmese activist based in London. Wai Hnin was born in Rangoon
, Burma (Myanmar) and is the daughter of Mya Aye (Burmese:ျမေအး), one of the leaders of the 88 Generation
student group in Burma.
Throughout her life, Wai Hnin's father was imprisoned for political involvement, meeting him for the first time through bars. She left Burma in 2006 to study in London
. Shortly after arriving in London, her father was arrested for taking part in events leading up to the "Saffron Revolution" in Burma and sentenced to 65.5 years in prison. Since that time Wai Hnin has sought to raise her father's detention and the plight of the more than 2,200 other political prisoners currently held in detention in Burma. Wai Hnin has worked for Burma Campaign UK
and Amnesty International
and has frequently appeared in British and international media. In 2010, after meeting Wai Hnin, former British Foreign Secretary
, David Miliband
, remarked that he was "struck first by her bravery and strength in leaving her family for a new life to study here in Britain, and secondly by her determination to bring about change in Burma".
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, Burma (Myanmar) and is the daughter of Mya Aye (Burmese:ျမေအး), one of the leaders of the 88 Generation
8888 Uprising
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests was a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma...
student group in Burma.
Throughout her life, Wai Hnin's father was imprisoned for political involvement, meeting him for the first time through bars. She left Burma in 2006 to study in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Shortly after arriving in London, her father was arrested for taking part in events leading up to the "Saffron Revolution" in Burma and sentenced to 65.5 years in prison. Since that time Wai Hnin has sought to raise her father's detention and the plight of the more than 2,200 other political prisoners currently held in detention in Burma. Wai Hnin has worked for Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and has frequently appeared in British and international media. In 2010, after meeting Wai Hnin, former British Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, remarked that he was "struck first by her bravery and strength in leaving her family for a new life to study here in Britain, and secondly by her determination to bring about change in Burma".
See also
- Wai Hnin Pwint Thon's profile and articles on the Guardian
- Human rights in Burma
- Burma Campaign UKBurma Campaign UKBurma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
- Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...