(Jenny Barry’s article from the KNOW INSIDERS on May 12, 2021.)
Htar Htet Htet, who represented Myanmar in the first
Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Thailand in 2013, has taken up arms
against the southeast Asian country's military leaders, AFP and
Timesnownews.com report.
Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the military seized power on February 1, ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Ethnic armed rebel groups have stepped up attacks on the military and police in recent months, raising fears of Myanmar spiralling into broader civil conflict, AFP report.
The 32-year-old
gymnastics instructor has joined ethnic armed groups in Myanmar's border
regions. On her Facebook page, former Myanmar beauty queen wrote: “The time has
come to fight back. Whether you hold a weapon, pen, keyboard or donate money to
the pro-democracy movement, everyone must do their bit for the revolution to
succeed."
"I will
fight back as much as I can. I am ready and prepared to give up everything. I
am even ready to pay with my life," she wrote. Like some other Burmese
beauty queens, Htar Htet Htet is involved in philanthropic work at home,
volunteering with the Myanmar Gymnast Federation and also working with the
elderly and people with leprosy.
Miss Grand Myanmar contestant Htar Htet Htet has been named the winner of the Miss Popular Award at the first-ever Miss Grand International beauty contest in Bangkok, Thailand. Myanmar Beauty Queen of Yangon claimed the title on Tuesday (20 November 2013) after receiving 8,899 votes in online polling from her fans. The award comes with a US $3,000 cash prize.
Htar Htet Htet
is the latest of a string of Burmese beauty contestants to win recognition in
international competitions. Until political and economic reforms began in the
country nearly three years ago, Burmese rarely took part in such contests.
The former
national gymnast is the third Burmese beauty queen to win an online popularity
contest since last year. In September, Khin Wint Wah was voted the most popular
contestant in the Miss Supranational competition, held in the Belarussian
capital Minsk, while Nang Khin Zay Yar won the same title at the Miss
International Myanmar contest in Okinawa, Japan, in November 2012.
(Blogger’s Notes:
She wrote in one of her Facebook posts that she was happy to have many people joined the rebels at her camp after knowing she was there. And she also thanked
the donors for financially supporting her and the camp. But many pro-army posts
have been attacking her for joining the ethnic rebels. One site even posted her alleged
photo of crapping in open.)
