BANGKOK/VIENTIANE, Sept 27 (Laotian Times): Myanmar model Thaw Nanda Aung, also known as Han Lay (pic), has been granted refugee status in Canadan, after being detained at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport last week, for reportedly not having enough documents to enter the country.
The 23-year-old beauty queen was wanted by the Myanmar junta Government for speaking out against the numerous crimes committed by the country’s Military at Miss Grand International 2020 pageant in Bangkok.
While in Bangkok competing in the Miss Grand International contest, the former psychology student spoke out against the coup, which ousted the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
She made headlines in March 2021 when she urged the world to "save" the people of Myanmar from the military, which had seized power a month earlier.
Last week, the Myanmar police were at Suvarnabhumi airport when Han Lay reported to the UNHCR about her situation hoping for an urgent resolution.
According to Thai airport authorities, Han Lay was denied entry into Thailand under Section 12 of the 1979 Immigration Act after an immigration officer spotted an irregularity with her passport.
A source informed the Bangkok Post that her passport may have been revoked by the Myanmar government.
Han Lay is expected to leave for Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday night (Sept 27) with a quick transit at Incheon airport in South Korea.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with the junta struggling to quell resistance to its rule.
A military crackdown on dissent has left more than 2,300 civilians dead, according to a local monitoring group.
The junta puts the civilian death toll at almost 3,900. - Laotian Times
