Once a Suu Kyi fan, now one of her most vocal critics
TV host Thinzar Shun is among youth who are fed up with government they voted into power
Myanmar youth activist and television host Thinzar Shun Lei Yi would once have called herself one of Aung San Suu Kyi’s greatest fans. Now, she is one of her most vocal critics.
The 27-year-old belongs to a small but high-profile group of liberal activists, many former diehard Suu Kyi supporters, who are growing increasingly disillusioned with the administration they voted into power.
“I lost my idol, I’m confused, frustrated and lost,” said Thinzar Shun Lei Yi, who hosts an “Under 30” talk show on a local website.
While Suu Kyi continues to inspire devotion among many ordinary Burmese, the emergence of a dissenting youth movement – driven by anger over her handling of ethnic minorities, including the Muslim Rohingya, as well as curbs on the media and civil society – presents a new challenge.
At stake is the future of Myanmar’s transition towards democracy after years of military rule. With a general election looming in 2020, the country’s first civilian government in decades is confronted by growing divisions among activists who once coalesced around her National League for Democracy party.
Suu Kyi took power in 2016 after a landslide election win, vowing to continue democratic reforms and end the country’s long-running civil wars. Since then, the administration has come under pressure over its response to a military crackdown against the Rohingya that the United Nations has described as “ethnic cleansing” with “genocidal intent”, as well as faltering peace talks with ethnic groups and a stagnating economy.
Activists say the civilian government has also become increasingly authoritarian, failing to use its overwhelming parliamentary majority to scrap colonial-era laws used to stifle dissent, while tightening curbs on civil society.
In recent months, they have staged several protests, including an anti-war march in the commercial capital of Yangon in May that ended in scuffles. A total of 17 people were charged with unlawful protest, including Thinzar Shun Lei Yi. Their trial is ongoing.
“Sensitive issues are banned, and protesters arrested and beaten,” she said. “The National League for Democracy, the party using the name of democracy, must respect democracy and human rights.”
Sensitive issues are banned, and protesters are arrested and beaten
THINZAR SHUN LEI YI, YOUTH ACTIVIST
According to free-speech organisation Athan, 44 journalists and 142 activists have faced trial since the Suu Kyi government took power.
While the youth activists represent only a small segment of Myanmar society, they are increasingly influential in the grassroots activism scene, while their protests and public comments have attracted significant attention from media and from their vast social media followings.
Mostly in their 20s and 30s, they highlight the gulf between Myanmar’s young population – the median age is 27 – and its ageing leadership, comprised of mostly men in their 60s and 70s.
“Myanmar is a very conservative country, these young people especially from Yangon are now challenging that,” said Myat Thu, a political analyst from the Yangon School of Political Science.