The coup in Myanmar done by the military forces which happened earlier this year in February has taken countless of innocent lives that had protested against stratocracy. Despite knowing that denouncing the military will cost them their wellbeing, the citizens of Myanmar are still bold in doing what they do.
Protests were still held, and notable names including artists and activists joined in on the protest. One of the names that have caught the attention of not only the Burmese netizens but also the netizens of neighbouring countries, is Paing Takhon (ပိုင်တံခွန်).
Paing Takhon made numerous headlines earlier this year not only because he was actively protesting against the military junta, but also because he was arrested for the protest. His sister stated that after being on the junta’s wanted celebrity list, he was arrested at his family’s home during a dawn raid. He was said to be struggling with depression and was allegedly suffering from a physical condition that made him unable to stand properly at the time of the arrest
Recently, after being in custody since April, Takhon was sentenced to jail for three years with hard labour by the legal court in Yangon, reported by his legal team earlier on Monday (27th December). The legal advisor of the actor cum model, Khin Maung Myint, has also stated that his family were deeply saddened by the sentence and have considered appealing it.
Earlier this year, he had posted a picture of him on his Instagram (which later was taken down after the arrest) at one of the peaceful protests against the junta, wearing a black and white tracksuit along with his fluffy white dog. He captioned the post with, “Help us stop (crimes) against humanity.” Then, in April, a picture of him looking thin and worn down, allegedly after the arrest was leaked by netizens.
The junta has released a list of a total of 120 wanted celebrities, and several of them are currently still on the run. Other than Paing Takhon who won 2021’s most handsome faces, the Burmese beauty queen, Htar Htar Htet is also one of the celebrities who was involved in the protests. She had posted a picture of her donning a black combat attire with a rifle in hand, on Facebook.
We hope everything is eased for Paing Takhon and his family, and that the situation in Myanmar gets better.
Sources: Channel News Asia, Mothership.
