Min Ko Naing

Paw Oo Tun ( ; born 18 October 1962), better known by his alias Min Ko Naing ( , lit. "conqueror of kings"), is a leading democracy activist and dissident from Myanmar. He has spent most of the years since 1988 imprisoned by the state for his opposition activities. The New York Times has described him as Burma's "most influential opposition figure after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi".

Early life/student years Min Ko Naing was born in Yangon, the third son of Thet Nyunt and Hla Kyi, a couple from Mudon in Mon State. He has three sisters: Kyi Kyi Nyunt, Ye Ye Nyunt, and Thadar Nyunt. His parents are of ethnic Mon people but Min Ko Naing has only a smattering of Mon language. He has remained involved in the Yangon's Mon community, serving a speaker on the annual Mon National Day.

Min Ko Naing began his undergrad study at the Rangoon Arts and Science University in the mid-1980s where he majored in Zoology. During his student years, he was an active member of the arts club, where he enjoyed reading, writing poems and drawing cartoons, especially satirical ones. According to classmates, Min Ko Naing was a member of a performance troupe that took part in the traditional Than Gyat competition during Thingyan (Burma's annual Water Festival) in April. Taking the name "Goat-Mouth and Spirit-Eye", the troupe performed satirical plays and sketches satirizing Burma's military government and the lack of freedom and democracy. Though the troupe was popular, it also attracted the attention of Burmese Military Intelligence agents, who began to track Min Ko Naing's movements. Despite the illegality of forming student unions in Burma, Min Ko Naing and other students formed clandestine study groups to discuss Burma's political situation, which grew into a secret student union.

8-8-88 Uprising and the All Burma Federation of Student Unions In September 1987, Ne Win voided most denominations of the kyat without warning, causing many people to lose their savings overnight. Students who saved money for tuition fees were particularly affected. The situation was further exacerbated by the shooting of protesting student Phone Maw in a 12 March 1988 clash with police. On 16 March, Min Ko Naing organized a rally of 3,000 students on the RASU campus in which he spoke about the role of student movements in Burmese history. When the students attempted to march to the Rangoon Institute of Technology, where Phone Maw had been killed, they encountered a barbed wire barricade at Inya Lake and were attacked by riot police, resulting in several deaths and many arrests.

The protests lasted until 18 September, at which point soldiers opened fire on the crowds, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths.

According to Amnesty International, Min Ko Naing was severely tortured and ill-treated during the early stages of his detention. His health suffered as a consequence. During his interrogation he was reportedly forced to stand in water for two weeks until he collapsed, and as a result, his left foot became completely numb. On 19 November 2004, he was released from prison after being held for 15 years.

Second imprisonment Min Ko Naing was rearrested in late September 2006. Htay Kywe, Ko Ko Gyi, Pyone Cho and Min Zeya were arrested along with him, in advance of Burma's 2006 national convention. In January 2007, they were released, without official explanation for either their original arrest or their sudden release. From 10 October 2006 to 18 October 2006 (his 44th birthday), some of the "88 generation" students organized a nationwide campaign, "White Expression" to pressure the military government to release him and all of political prisoners. Participants wore white clothing in a show of support for the release of all political prisoners. They also organized the signature campaign to pressure the junta to release him and all political prisoners. It was started a week after Min Ko Naing and four colleagues were arrested. Many well-known artists from Myanmar (such as Ludu Daw Amar and Zarganar) signed the petition.

On 4 January 2007, the 88 Generation Students organized the "Open Heart Campaign". He said to the Irrawaddy Magazine that the campaign was to encourage the people to exercise freedom of expression. People could write to State Peace and Development Council leader senior general Than Shwe about their feelings under the military government.

The 88 Generation Students Group also conducted a "White Sunday" campaign from 11 March 2007 to 20 May 2007 to express support for family members of political prisoners. They visited the families of political prisoners in Yangon every Sunday during this period.

It was believed that he would contest the 2015 general elections for a seat in Assembly of the Union,

He has been on the run following the military coup on February 1, 2021. He has urged the public to take a "no recognition, no participation" approach to the new military regime and called on people to work together to protest against the coup.

On 13 February 2021, in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Min Ko Naing and six other high-profile individuals, namely Kyaw Min Yu, Myo Yan Naung Thein, Insein Aung Soe, Mg Mg Aye, Pencilo, and Lynn Lynn were charged and issued arrest warrants under section 505 (b) of the Myanmar Penal Code by the State Administration Council for inciting unrest against the state and threatening "public tranquility" through their social media posts.

International recognition Min Ko Naing has won numerous international awards for his activism. These include the 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights; the 2005 Civil Courage Prize, which he shared with Anna Politkovskaya and Munir Said Thalib; the 2000 Homo Homini Award of People In Need; the 2001 Student Peace Prize; and the 1999 John Humphrey Freedom Award, which he shared with Cynthia Maung of the Mae Tao Clinic.

In 2012, he was announced the winner of an award from the US National Endowment for Democracy, but stated his intention not to attend the ceremony in solidarity with other Burmese activists who had been denied visas.

Rohingya genocide In a press conference, September 13, 2017—at the height of the Rohingya genocide (the persecution of, and attacks upon, Myanmar's mostly Muslim ethnic minority, the Rohingya) -- Min Ko Naing reportedly appeared with a group of 88 Generation Peace and Open Society activists, at which the attendees issued a written statement denying the version of events portrayed in prominent international media. Speaking at the event, Min Ko Naing sided with Myanmar's civilian government in its harsh dealing with the Rohingya community. He said that the problems in Rakhine's state were not religious or racial, but rather were about terrorism and immigration laws—stating that the Rohingya "are not one of 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar."