Myanmar beauty queen turned resistance fighter now tells her story in film
Htar Htet Htet, crowned most popular at Miss Grand International in 2013, joined Myanmar's resistance after the 2021 military coup.
When the Myanmar military seized power in February 2021, Htar Htet Htet was expecting to coach students at her gymnasium. Htar Htet Htet found herself on the streets of Yangon at the forefront of anti-coup protests as bullets flew.
Within weeks, she had fled to jungle resistance camps near Thailand's border. The beauty queen and businesswoman received death threats on Facebook and decided she could not stay.
Her story, from pageant fame to armed resistance, has now become a film called Ray, which she describes as 95 per cent accurate. The new movie aims to keep the world's attention on Myanmar's descent into civil war.
- Miss Grand International 2013
- Beauty pageant crown
- February 1, 2021
- Coup date
- Ray (95 per cent accurate)
- Film accuracy
Why it mattersHer film brings international attention to Myanmar's ongoing humanitarian crisis and the cost of resistance for ordinary people.
AustraliaHtar Htet Htet is now based in Australia and the film is screening to Australian audiences, bringing Myanmar's civil war closer to home.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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