Aung Myo Min Explained

Aung Myo Min should not be confused with Aung Myo Min Din.

Aung Myo Min
Native Name Lang:Burmese
Office:Minister of Human Rights of the NUG
Term Start:3 May 2021
President:Win Myint
Vicepresident:Duwa Lashi La
Appointer:CRPH
Birth Place:Myanmar
Party:Independent
Occupation:Politician
Human rights activist
Nationality:Burmese

Aung Myo Min (Burmese: အောင်မျိုးမင်း, in Burmese pronounced as /ʔaʊɰ̃ mjó mɪ́ɰ̃/) is a Burmese human rights activist.[1] [2] He is currently a human rights minister in the cabinet of the National Unity Government and is the first openly LGBT minister in the country's history.[3]

Early life and education

Until his departure in 1988, Aung Myo Min studied English at the University of Yangon.[4] Later, in 1993, he studied human rights at Columbia University in the City of New York and earned his master's degree in 1995.[5] [6]

Career

His political aspirations first began in 1988, at the time of the 8888 pro-democracy uprising, when he participated as a student activist in Yangon in the nationwide campaign calling for democracy and human rights in Myanmar. At the time, he was in his final year at the University of Yangon, where he was studying for a degree in English. In August 1988, he led fellow activists at student demonstrations in Mudon, Mon State. After addressing crowds every day, he finally left for the jungle, along the Thailand-Myanmar border in Karen State, where he joined the armed student group the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF). He served in the Mudon Battalion, or ABSDF Battalion 204. After finishing his education from Columbia University, he returned to work along the border in 1993. In a 2018 interview with FORUM-ASIA, of which Equality Myanmar is a member, he stated that his "passion for truth and justice" motivated him to become involved in human rights. Aung Myo Min became Myanmar's first openly gay activist, fighting against homophobia and LGBT discrimination.

Aung Myo Min founded the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) in 2000,[7] which was later renamed Equality Myanmar (EQMM), and served as an executive director.[8] [9] From 2005 to 2010, he served as director of the Human Rights Documentation Department of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.[7] He is also the founder of the EQMM project Colors Rainbow, initiated in 2007, and a steering committee member of the Myanmar LGBT Rights Network.[4]

After his return to Burma in 2012, Aung Myo Min increased his involvement in human rights activities.[4] He founded theColor Rainbow, an LGBT rights organization, and he is a steering committee member for the Myanmar LGBT Rights Network. On 3 May 2021, Aung Myo Min was appointed by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw as the Union Minister for Human Rights in the National Unity Government.[10]

He is said to have devoted a lifetime to his career and is called a "sacred human resource" by his colleagues.[4]

Awards and nominations

In 1999, Aung Myo Min received the Felipa de Souza Award from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.[4] He holds seven international awards for the work he has done for human and LGBT rights[11] including, in 2017, the first Robert Schuman Award presented to Myanmar citizens by the European Union for defending peace, democracy and human rights.[12] He was also nominated for the United Nation's N-Peace Award in 2016. Aung Myo Min was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal for Human Rights in 2023.[13]

In popular culture

The documentary This Kind of Love chronicled Aung Myo Min's life and career after his return from exile.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: NUG supports sanctions against family members of coup leaders, human rights minister says . 16 September 2021 . . en.
  2. News: Aung Myo Min: 'Treat us as human beings, not as a problem' . 16 September 2021 . . 16 February 2016.
  3. News: Myanmar's first gay minister hopes to uplift minorities, Rohingya . 16 September 2021 . South China Morning Post . 14 May 2021 . en.
  4. News: Lifelong Human Rights Defender Continues to Inspire . 16 September 2021 . . 29 May 2019.
  5. Web site: 1993 HRAP Alumni Aung Myo Min on PBS Newshour Institute for the Study of Human Rights . www.humanrightscolumbia.org . 16 September 2021.
  6. News: First-ever Schuman Awards granted to Myanmar citizens . 16 September 2021 . . 7 April 2017 . 16 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210916064757/https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/25627-first-ever-schuman-awards-granted-to-myanmar-citizens.html . dead .
  7. News: ပြည်ထောင်စုဝန်ကြီး – လူ့အခွင့်အရေးဆိုင်ရာဝန်ကြီးဌာန . 16 September 2021 . 17 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211117180059/https://mohr.nugmyanmar.org/en/%e1%80%95%e1%80%bc%e1%80%8a%e1%80%ba%e1%80%91%e1%80%b1%e1%80%ac%e1%80%84%e1%80%ba%e1%80%85%e1%80%af%e1%80%9d%e1%80%94%e1%80%ba%e1%80%80%e1%80%bc%e1%80%ae%e1%80%b8/ . dead .
  8. News: Myanmar Military's Killings of Children Are 'Serious Crimes,' Says Opposition NUG Minister . 16 September 2021 . Radio Free Asia . en.
  9. News: Prosecutions Being Prepared for Myanmar Military: NUG Human Rights Minister . 16 September 2021 . . 5 May 2021.
  10. Web site: Appointment of Union Ministers and Deputy Ministers – CRPH . crphmyanmar.org . 16 September 2021 . 3 May 2021 . 14 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210514050018/https://crphmyanmar.org/appointment-of-union-ministers-and-deputy-ministers/ . dead .
  11. Web site: Aung Myo Min . www.britishcouncil.org.mm . 16 September 2021.
  12. News: EU Honors Myanmar Rights Advocates at Fourth Schuman Awards . 16 September 2021 . The Irrawaddy . 19 February 2020.
  13. https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/news-and-events/news/2023/05/30/myanmar-peace-advocate-to-receive-gold-medal-for-human-rights.html
  14. Web site: Newsmakers of the Year [Aung Myo Min – EQMM] Human Rights in ASEAN ]. 16 September 2021 . 16 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210916064737/https://humanrightsinasean.info/news/newsmakers-of-the-year-aung-myo-min-eqmm/ . dead .