Myanmar beauty queen Han Lay who was facing threats from the military junta is seeking asylum in Canada.
The 23-year-old who took refuge in Thailand after criticizing her home country’s ruling military junta has left Bangkok for Canada where she is expected to seek asylum, Thai immigration officials told CNN. Han Lay captured international attention with an emotional pageant speech during the finals of the Miss Grand International Myanmar competition in 2021 when she held up a banner with the words “Pray for Myanmar” to raise awareness of human rights atrocities committed by junta officials. She received death threats after the speech and decided not to return home after the competition – which was held in Thailand. However, she appeared to face the threat of deportation after returning to Thailand last Wednesday following a trip to Vietnam, reported CNN.
She was stopped by officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport who said they had discovered a problem with her passport and since then she had been in limbo.
Archayon Kraithong, deputy chief of Thailand’s immigration bureau, told CNN on Wednesday that Han Lay had left Bangkok on Tuesday night.