An investigation has been launched into the death of a gay Myanmar man, whose final note on Facebook detailing the homophobic bullying he suffered at work has prompted widespread outrage and calls for law changes.
Kyaw Zin Win, a 26-year-old librarian at Yangon’s Myanmar Imperial University, posted a final message Sunday detailing how he had suffered harassment from colleagues after being forcibly outed.
Hundreds of mourners turned up Wednesday for the funeral in Yangon where his body was cremated in a casket wrapped in a rainbow-coloured flag.
Same-sex relations remain illegal under a colonial-era law and rights groups say homophobia and discrimination are entrenched even though more space has opened up for the LGBTQ community in recent years.
"We will investigate the case," Yu Lwin Aung from Myanmar's National Human Rights Commission told AFP Thursday, adding they would speak to family members and the university's management on Friday.
But the commission does not have the power to instigate legal proceedings and there is currently no legislation that could be used against the perpetrators, Nang Hsu Mon Thar from rights group Colors Rainbow told AFP.
"This case highlights the gaps in the law," she said, repeating calls from LGBTQ advocates for the decriminalisation of gay sex and an anti-discrimination law.
The university has offered its "most sincere apologies" to Kyaw Zin Win's family.
It announced Wednesday it had suspended three staff in line with a "zero tolerance" policy on discrimination and harassment.
One of Kyaw Zin Win's colleagues, whose name appeared in the final online message, has denied any role in the harassment.
Kyaw Zin Win's final post included a plea "not to be reborn" in a country "where superiors oppress those under them."
It has been shared thousands of times in a country where Facebook is the main mode of communication.
Many in Myanmar's LGBTQ community have changed their profile pictures to a black circle edged in rainbow colours. Rights groups are planning a protest outside the university on Friday.
"This tragic incident proves our society still doesn't have enough awareness," said computer designer Kyaw Min Hein, 32, after the funeral.
An annual LGBTQ festival was held in a public park last year for the first time and this year saw the country's first-ever "Pride Boat Parade."
