A former Myanmar model has become the latest celebrity to call for action against the regime from the territory of an ethnic armed group.
Htar Htet Htet, 32, posted on her Facebook page on May 1 an image of herself with an assault rifle alongside a rallying cry that summarized the drastic change she has undergone, along with her country, since the February 1 coup.
"Our main goal is to fight for the end of the dictatorship which has been entrenched for nearly 60 years, and it is time to take what we want,” she wrote. "I will fight back as much as I can. I am willing to give anything to help, even my life.
“We all protested peacefully and were brutally shot. It's time to take action, as the saying goes, to fight back. It takes a lot of patience, practice, and preparation. We, with pens, with keyboards or with arms, all need to be united to be completely fulfilled."
Htar Htet Htet represented Myanmar in the first Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Thailand in 2013, competing against 60 contenders in swimsuit and national costume rounds.
She is one of hundreds – or possible even thousands – who have travelled to areas controlled by ethnic freedom fighters for training in basic combat in a bid to fight back against the military since the coup.
Another well-known trainee, martial artist Bozhena Antoniyar, 25, called for her fellow athletes to take a stand against the regime in late April. She was also photographed with a gun in hand.
Yesterday marked 100 days since dictator Min Aung Hlaing seized power from an elected government, but the resistance to his junta still shows no signs of weakening.
While his troops have killed and tortured innocent civilians, protesters have maintained demonstrations in Myanmar’s cities and towns, now forming flash protests to avoid security forces.
The military has also deployed air strikes on civilians in ethnic areas, as conflict intensifies between ethnic armed groups and the Tatmadaw. Meanwhile, more clashes have been reported between the Tatmadaw and community defence forces across the country.
