Kyaw Min Yu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kyaw Min Yu
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| ကျော်မင်းယု | |
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| Born | 13 February 1969 Shan State, Burma
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| Died | 23 July 2022 (aged 53) |
| Other names | Ko Jimmy |
| Education |
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| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse(s) | Nilar Thein |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) |
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Kyaw Min Yu (Burmese: ကျော်မင်းယု), also known as Ko Jimmy, was a writer and activist from Myanmar. He was born on February 13, 1969, and passed away on July 23, 2022. He was a key member of the 88 Generation Students Group, a group of young people who fought for democracy. He was executed in July 2022 because of his activism against the military government that took control in 2021.
Contents
Life and Activism
Early Life and Student Protests
Kyaw Min Yu was born in Shan State, in eastern Myanmar. When he was a young man, he studied physics at Rangoon Arts & Sciences University. This university is now known as the University of Yangon.
He became well-known during the 8888 Uprising in 1988. This was a huge protest where many students and people in Myanmar spoke out for democracy. Because he took part in these protests, he was put in prison for 15 years. He was released in 2003.
Continued Activism and Imprisonment
After his release, Kyaw Min Yu continued to be an activist. In August 2007, he joined the 88 Generation Students Group to protest against rising fuel prices. For this, he was sent to prison again for five more years.
Writing Career
Even while in prison, Kyaw Min Yu was a talented writer. In 2005, he wrote a self-help book called Making Friendship. This book became very popular and was a bestseller.
In 2012, he published a novel titled The Moon in Inle Lake. He had written this book in 2010 while he was in prison in Taunggyi. He also wrote many short stories about politics under the pen name Pan Pu Lwin Pyin. These stories were published in Japan.
Kyaw Min Yu also translated many famous novels into Burmese while he was in prison. These included Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.
Events of 2021 and His Death
In February 2021, the military took control of Myanmar. Kyaw Min Yu and six other well-known people were accused of causing unrest. They were arrested in October for their social media posts.
In January 2022, a military court sentenced him to death. This was because he had contacted groups that were working against the military government. On July 23, 2022, it was announced that Kyaw Min Yu had been executed. He was 53 years old.
His execution, along with others, was strongly condemned by many countries. The G7 foreign ministers, representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union, spoke out against it.
Family Life
Kyaw Min Yu was married to Nilar Thein, who is also a political activist. They met while they were both in prison after the 8888 Uprising. They got married in 2004 after they were both released. They have a daughter named Phyu Nay Kyi Min Yu.
