Thinzar Shunlei Yi

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In this Burmese name, the given name is Thinzar Shunlei Yi. There is no family name.
Thinzar Shunlei Yi
သင်ဇာရွှန်းလဲ့ရည်
Thinzar Shunlei Yi circa 2016.jpg
Thinzar Shunlei Yi, c. 2016
Born (1991-11-14) 14 November 1991 (age 31)
Sagaing, Myanmar
Occupation(s)Activist, television host
Known forAnti-Tatmadaw activism, organizing Myanmar anti-junta protests, mental health activism, feminist activism

Thinzar Shunlei Yi (Burmese: သင်ဇာရွှန်းလဲ့ရည်; born 14 November 1991)[1] is a Burmese pro-democracy activist and television host. Following the 2021 coup d'état, she helped organize mass protests against the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military).[2] She lives in exile in Thailand as of 2022.

Early life[edit]

Thinzar Shunlei Yi was born in Sagaing, the eldest of three children.[3][4] Being the daughter of a military family, she spent the first sixteen years of her life on military compounds, and was supportive of the Tatmadaw as a child.[5][6][4][7] She moved every two years, living in Rakhine State and Mon State, among others, and attended several military high schools. She finally settled in Yangon around 2010.[3]

As a teenager, she was sexually assaulted by a tutor. She experienced clinical depression, and blamed herself for the incident.[8]

Political activism[edit]

Before 2021[edit]

Following her move to Yangon, Thinzar Shunlei Yi underwent an ideological change. She grew less supportive of the military after she met several former political prisoners at the local American Center, and cited Aung San Suu Kyi as a major influence for her later activism.[3][9]

She first became politically active in 2012, when she co-organized a peace march on the International Day of Peace.[10] She eventually became the first female national coordinator for the National Youth Congress, and the president of the Yangon Youth Network.[11][12] During this time, she was frequently harassed online, and was doxed on pornographic sites.[11][2]

In 2017, she co-founded and began hosting Under 30 Dialogue, a political youth oriented television programme on Mizzima TV.[13][9] The programme's status is unclear following the 2021 coup.[13]

In 2018, she, along with 16 other activists, including Maung Saung Kha, were detained for their protests against the Rohingya genocide.[9] Her trials lasted for two years, and ended in a conviction.[10] She expressed disappointment in Aung San Suu Kyi for her inaction during the genocide, whom she previously regarded as an idol.[9]

2021–present: Post-coup d'etat[edit]

Following the February 2021 coup d'état, she immediately went into hiding to avoid possible arrest,[14][15] with an arrest warrant being formally announced in March or April.[10][16][17] Frequent doxing by pro-junta accounts posed a significant security risk; she frequently switched hiding places in the Yangon region.[15][11] Several of her friends were abducted, tortured and killed.[18][19] In May, she testified via video link before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the British House of Commons about the state of Myanmar under the military junta.[20] After a month and a half in hiding, she took refuge in the dense Burmese jungle and joined a rebel group.[15] After about a month, during the summer, she crossed over the Myanmar–Thailand border to seek sanctuary, with her exact whereabouts being unknown as of January 2022.[15]

In 2022, she published an autobiography with a French journalist.[15][13] As of 2022, she is running the #Sisters2Sisters campaign, which aims to raise awareness about sexual violence perpetrated by the military junta, and is a frequent contributor on Western news outlets such as CNN and The Australian.[15][21][10]

Awards and honours[edit]

Thinzar Shunlei Yi with American Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel at the 2016 Emerging Young Leaders Award ceremony

In 2016, Thinzar Shunlei Yi won an Emerging Young Leader Award from the US Department of State for her organization of the ASEAN Youth Forum and International Youth Day celebrations, along with her mental health activism.[22][13][23]

In 2019, she won in the Media & Communications category of the Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia.[24][10]

In 2022, she was a awarded a Magnitsky Human Rights Award for Outstanding Young Activist for her advocacy for internally displaced persons in Kachin State, for her organization of peace marches on the International Day of Peace, and for the establishment of the #Sisters2Sisters campaign.[10][13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thinzar Shunlei Yi [@thinzashunleiyi] (14 November 2021). ""On my 30th Birthday, I want to simply say, thank you to the people of Myanmar esp women..."" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b McLaughlin, Timothy (11 February 2021). "Why Did It Take a Coup?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "5 female activists who are changing Myanmar". Myanmar Mix. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b Parry, Richard Lloyd. "Thinzar Shunlei Yi and the future of Myanmar: 'Aung San Suu Kyi broke my heart'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  5. ^ Davis, Matt; Worthington, Anne (28 July 2021). "Swe got shot by a 'stray bullet'. Then a chilling message revealed the truth". ABC News. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  6. ^ Sargent, Allison (18 October 2021). "Perspective – Myanmar activist: 'The risk I'm taking is nothing compared to people on the ground'". France 24. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  7. ^ Wazir, Burhan (26 April 2021). "Myanmar's protest movement riven by suspicions and accusations of betrayal". Coda Story. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  8. ^ Droulers, Annabelle (18 December 2015). "Breaking the silence on youth depression in Burma". english.dvb.no. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Naing, Shoon; McPherson, Poppy (1 December 2018). "FEATURE-Lost idol: New wave of Myanmar youth activists look beyond Suu Kyi". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Thinzar Shunlei Yi | The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards". 29 November 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Munsi, Pallabi (7 February 2023). "They released a sex video to shame and silence her. She's one of many women in Myanmar doxxed and abused on Telegram by supporters of the military". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Thinzar Shunlei Yi | One Young World". One Young World. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Thinzar Shunlei Yi". InterviewHer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. ^ Goldberg, Jacob (15 February 2021). "Myanmar Activist: We Want Our Own Script". New Naratif. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Zoll, Patrick; Bilder, Aung Naing Soe (19 January 2022). "Inside the rebel groups fighting Myanmar's ruling regime". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  16. ^ Auto, Hermes (17 June 2021). "'No regrets': Myanmar dissidents evade junta with life on the run". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  17. ^ Jha, Preeti (28 June 2021). "'Life is at a turning point': Inside Myanmar's resistance". New Internationalist. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  18. ^ Kay, Kira; Maloney, Jason (12 March 2022). "Meet the new generation driving Myanmar's resistance". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  19. ^ Sullivan, Michael (1 February 2022). "1 year since Myanmar's coup, the military has been unable to stamp out the resistance". NPR. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Oral evidence: The Myanmar crisis, HC 203". House of Commons. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  21. ^ Raj, Nina (28 October 2022). "Myanmar Women, Diplomats Confront Humanitarian Crisis". The Hoya. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Emerging Young Leaders Award – Thinzar Shunlei Yi". Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs Exchange Programs. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  23. ^ Dockins, Pamela (20 April 2016). "Young Leaders Honored for Innovative Initiatives". VOA. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Myanmar women win big in Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia 2019". Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
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