Actors and directors on the streets

This article was originally published on March 27, 2021, the 55th day after the coup.

If Chinese-speaking celebrities are annoying because of the Xinjiang cotton controversy, in Myanmar, many actors, entertainers, directors, etc. have taken to the streets to oppose the coup that broke out in February. If I missed any Myanmar celebrities, or This is an error or omission in the narrative, welcome to add.

Actor Lu Min

The actor and director has won the Myanmar Film Academy Award four times and has appeared in more than 1,000 films. He has served as the chairman of the Myanmar Film Academy for 17 years since 2014.

After the 2021 military coup, Lu Min actively participated in the non-cooperation movement and was wanted by the military government for sedition. On February 21, she was taken away from her home in Yangon by the police. His wife Khin Sabai Oo said: "The police forced the door to open the door and took him away without telling me where they were taking him. I couldn't stop them."

Filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi

Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi was also arrested on February 21. He has liver cancer and has not been released.

This is not the first time Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi has been arrested. In August 2019, he posted a Facebook post criticizing the Myanmar military and was charged with Article 505 of the Penal Code for “any production, publication, or dissemination of information that may cause public fear or He was charged with "panicing and possibly inciting the masses to commit crimes endangering the country or public tranquility" and "insulting military personnel" under the Telecommunications Act, and was sentenced to one year in prison.

On February 21, 2020, Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi was released. After being released from prison, he said that while in prison he wrote two screenplays and called for reform of Myanmar's penal code. He founded and chaired the Human Rights Film Network to assist Myanmar film producers in participating in international film festivals.

His short documentary "The Floating Tomatoes" is based on Inle Lake, a famous tourist attraction in Myanmar. Local farmers grow tomatoes on floating farmlands built on scaffolds and soil on the lake. However, various pesticides and Fertilizer also enters the lake.

Most farmers know that the water in Inle Lake is no longer suitable for drinking, but they continue to come into contact with pesticides and other chemicals with their bare hands, accumulating various toxins in the bodies of residents and the ecological environment. The farmer's words shocked Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, "I don't know what is polluting the lake, but our lives and families must rely on these tomatoes."

"Floating Tomatoes" illustrates the vicious cycle in Inle Lake. Pesticides and fertilizers have reduced the number of fish in the lake. Residents cannot make money by fishing, so they rely more on growing tomatoes and use more pesticides and fertilizers.

Actor Paing Phyo Thu

Paing Phyo Thu, 30, and her husband Na Gyi, a film producer, are both wanted for their involvement in the non-cooperation movement and are in hiding. Paing Phyo Thu graduated from Yangon Medical College and won the Myanmar Film Academy Award for Best Actress. She is considered one of the most successful actresses in Myanmar and the highest paid actress.

Actor Pyay Ti Oo

Pyay Ti Oo, the four-time winner of Myanmar's Academy Award for Best Actor, is also wanted for participating in the non-cooperation movement.

Pyay Ti Oo, 42, was born as a child star. Nicknamed "Oo Ti" (ဦးတီ) and "Ti Ti" (တီတီ) by the Burmese people, she has appeared in more than 100 films and countless commercials. He established an educational foundation to provide scholarships for outstanding disadvantaged students of all religions and races to attend medical school. As a Buddhist, he also donated money to aid Muslim refugees in Rakhine State.

DirectorWyne

The 47-year-old director Wyne entered the film industry when he was young, playing supporting roles until he started directing movies at the age of 30. The films he directed have won Myanmar Academy Awards four times, and he was wanted by the military junta for his participation in the non-cooperation movement.

Actor Paing Takhon

The 24-year-old actor Paing Takhon is a model. In 2019, he held a large-scale fan meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2017, he released his first solo album "Chit Thu" (Lover), and he donated the profits from the sales of the album to Ananda Metta Nursery.

Paing Takhon actively participated in the non-cooperation movement and was active on the streets.

He said in an interview with "The Irrawaddy",

 「當國家陷入困境時，我會在當前的政治局勢下盡力而為。」 「參與不合作運動的原因，不是因為我了解政治，而是作為一個公民，我必須做我認為正確的事。」

Paing Takhon said, "You can't just sit at home with anger because of the bad political environment." He believes that as a citizen, you must give your time and small blessings.

"This is motivation to move forward," he said.

ActorPoe Mamhe Thar

Poe Mamhe Thar, a 23-year-old actress who was active in the non-cooperation movement, told The Irrawaddy the story of a cold call.

One day, an unknown number called her mobile phone. The other person's tone was polite and helpless, "I'm sorry, there is no Internet where I am, and I don't know what is happening outside, so I called this phone number." .

Poe Mamhe Thar asked the other party's location, "I'm in Myeik, and the pursuit here is fierce, but we don't know the status of other places." Myeik is a city in southern Myanmar that has been severely suppressed by security forces.

Worried about being eavesdropped, Poe Mamhe Thar hung up the phone after answering the other party's inquiry. She expressed concern that due to disconnections and lack of information, many protesters in remote cities were worried that they would be left behind in the non-cooperation movement.

Poe Mamhe Thar called on Internet telecom operators to resume communications and stand with the people.

Author's note: Poe Mamhe Thar's official fan page was still available at the end of March and had hundreds of thousands of fans, but it disappeared from Facebook in early April.

ActorMay Myat Noe

May Myat Noe, a 22-year-old actress who used to be a beauty pageant and model and actively participated in the non-cooperation movement, explained the status of the coup in Myanmar in fluent English in online communities.

She said in an interview with "The Irrawaddy",

 「我將持續與國際社會談論緬甸當前不公正的狀態，直到獨裁者失敗為止。」 「談論不是出於對不正義的恐懼，而是對未來的恐懼，以及擔心自己無法為真理辯護。」 

Photos from actors’ and directors’ Facebook accounts and fan pages