Myo MyintAn Ordinary Hero

This is Myo MyintFormer Burmese Soldier now living as a political refugee here in Fort Wayne.

As a boy Myo Myint went to

school. He had a history

teacher who inspired him

He had brothers and sisters and grew up in a fairly normal setting.

As a soldier In 1962 Burma was

taken over by their own military.

Myo Myint joined the army when he was only seventeen.

He hated what he saw and wished he had never joined

Myo Myint lost his left arm and leg and most of the fingers on his right hand to a landmine

He was then discharged from the military

As a man Thousands flooded the

streets in 1988 to protest.

Soldiers unloaded on the people. Over 3000 were killed.

Myo Myint spoke out to over 8,000 people trying to persuade soldiers to join the pro-democracy movement

The next day 200 soldiers left the military to join the fight for democracy

His speech led to his arrest, torture and imprisonment for fifteen years.

As a refugee Myo Myint fled to

Thailand upon being released for the safety of his family and himself.

In 2008 he was granted a visa to the United States

He now lives with his younger brother and his younger sister here in Fort Wayne.

He is a local hero to some 6000 Burmese refugees who reside in Fort Wayne today.

What makes someone “ordinary”?Are we, as westerners and the freedom we enjoy…the norm?How do other people in the world get by day after day?What is their reality?

NVC:Myo Myint demonstrated Tapasya;willingness to suffer for a greater cause

Works Cited

http://yearningtobreathefree.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/burmese-soldier-turned-promoter-of-democracy-myo-myint-part-one/

http://voaburmese.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/whats-in-a-name-burma-or-myanmar/

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/developing-world-stories/2009/03/burma-political-prisoners-jail.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-484903/Burma-UN-envoy-meets-general-regime-blames-foreigners-violence.html