Eh Nay Thaw pictured speaking to a crowd at a protest.
Eh Nay Thaw ‘18 is originally from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and spent 10 years in a refuge camp in Thailand before coming to the U.S where he resettled in Louisville, KY. Eh Nay Thaw graduated as a Bonner Scholar alum '18 from Centre College in Danville, KY. Most recently, as a response to the ongoing crisis and military coup in his home country, Eh Nay Thaw has led protests across the country, including in Washington, D.C., Louisville and St. Paul, Minnesota, since February 6, 2021.
Read the story and interview with Eh Nay Thaw from Centre College News below.
by Cindy Long
March 16, 2021
Myanmar police fired on protesters on Sunday, February 28, making it the bloodiest day in weeks of demonstrations against a military coup. It has been reported (as of this writing) that at least 70 people have been killed, many wounded and hundreds detained.Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb. 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps toward democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries.
In recent years, Centre has developed an interesting relationship with Myanmar, which has provided the College’s community with international students, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, postgraduate positions and a groundbreaking opportunity for institutional partnerships.
Thet Naing Win ’08 and Thiri “Cynthia” Myat ’08 were the College’s first students from Myanmar, and more recent students from that nation include Khun Nyan Min Htet (Joy Joy) ’17, Eh Nay Thaw ’18, Me Me Khant ’20, Hninn Ei Nandar ’23, and Gloria Lwin ’24.
Leading opposition to the military coup from here in the U.S. include Me Me Khant ’20 and Eh Nay Thaw ’18. Me Me Khant organizes weekly virtual protests from Stanford University, where she is a graduate student in international policy as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Eh Nay Thaw has led protests in Washington, D.C., Louisville and St. Paul, Minnesota, since February 6, 2021.
Eh Nay Thaw pictured in the middle speaking into the microphone holding up the three finger salute which has become the symbol of this movement.
Eh Nay Thaw ’18
“My activism focuses on elevating the voice of ethnic minorities in a supposed democratic society to fight for rights and equal justice,” he says. “In addition, I am working with my colleagues in the U.S. to raise awareness of the atrocities committed by the Tatmadaw (Burma army) in the ethnic control territory.
“I fear that the political turmoil could be used to mask a more intense crackdown on the country’s already oppressed ethnic minorities, who are living in the ethnic territory,” he continues. “I know this very well, because when political turmoil has occurred in the cities, in the mountains the Burma army unleashed the cruelest form of their military doctrine called ‘the four cuts’; indiscriminate killing, burning down villages and terrorizing civilian populations in zones where ethnic armed groups operate. I know this, because they did this to me, my family and my fellow Karen people, forcing us to flee our homeland and eventually seek refuge in foreign countries.”
According to Eh Nay Thaw, prior to the coup of February 1, the Tatmadaw were sending more soldiers and supplies to Karen National Union territory in Brigade 3 and Brigade 5. Then in late December and January, the Tatmadaw began shelling several villages and fighting has increased since. They have now attacked deeper into the village areas and forced more than 5300 Karen villagers to flee in the deep jungle without food or medical supply.
Sign at a protest that reads “Justice For Myanmar.”
“As the Burma army is cracking down on the protesters in the cities, in the mountains they are advancing and killing anyone on sight. Without doubt, the coup only means more bad news for us ethnic minorities. The escalation of military offensives in Karen State in recent months, including in ceasefire areas, is a sign of a worsening humanitarian crisis and a rise in atrocities against ethnic Karen, because minorities like us have been subject to violations including rape, shelling, shooting, looting and burning down villages.”
He says that in response to the coup, the international community has shown expressions of concern for a vague concept of democracy, while ignoring the suffering of ethnic groups for decades under both the National League for Democracy (NLD) and their military rule, as well as the risks posed by climate change.
“Burma faces one of the most severe existential crises in Southeast Asia in terms of the risk posed by climate change,” Eh Nay Thaw says. “We, as a nation, must work together peacefully, democratically and collectively to resolve decades of ethnic, religious and social conflict so we can prepare for a greater challenge—the climate crisis.”
This is the first in a series of interviews with current and former students of Centre College on the ongoing crisis in Myanmar since a military coup in February.
Read the full story here.
All photos from Eh Nay Thaw’s Facebook page.
Source: https://www.centre.edu/centre-students-and-alumni-address-myanmar-coup/