Phyo Zeya Thaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phyo Zeya Thaw
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ဖြိုးဇေယျာသော်
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Phyo Zeya Thaw in 2011
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| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 1 February 2016 – 1 February 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Sandar Min |
| Constituency | Zabuthiri Township |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 2 May 2012 – 29 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Tin Aung Myint Oo |
| Succeeded by | Tun Thit |
| Constituency | Pobbathiri Township |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 March 1981 Yangon, Burma |
| Died | 23 July 2022 (aged 41) Insein Prison, Yangon, Myanmar |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Political party | National League for Democracy |
| Spouse | Thazin Nyunt Aung |
| Parents |
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| Education | BEHS No. 6 Botahtaung |
| Alma mater | Yadanabon University |
| Occupation | Politician, rapper |
Phyo Zeya Thaw (Burmese: ဖြိုးဇေယျာသော်; 26 March 1981 – 23 July 2022) was a famous Burmese politician and hip hop artist. He was also known as Zeya Thaw. He became well-known for his music, which sometimes included messages that were seen as critical of the government.
Because of his activism and music, he was arrested and later died. Amnesty International called him a prisoner of conscience, meaning someone imprisoned for their beliefs. He also served as a member of the Pyithu Hluttaw, which is like the lower house of Myanmar's parliament.
In November 2021, Phyo Zeya Thaw was arrested by the Myanmar military government. In January 2022, he received a very serious punishment. The military government announced in June 2022 that this punishment would happen soon. On 23 July 2022, Phyo Zeya Thaw and three other people who supported democracy, including Kyaw Min Yu (Ko Jimmy), passed away.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Phyo Zeya Thaw was born in Yangon, Myanmar, on 26 March 1981. His father, Mya Thaw, was a former university head, and his mother, Khin Win May, was a dentist.
He went to high school at Basic Education High School No. 6 Botataung. Later, he studied at the University of Pharmacy, Mandalay in 1999. In 2000, he changed to distance learning at Yadanabon University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2003.
Hip Hop Music Career
In 2000, Phyo Zeya Thaw's band, Acid, released Myanmar's very first hip-hop album. Many people in the music business thought it would not do well. However, the album, called Beginning, stayed at the top of the Burmese music charts for over two months.
His music was described as having a strong, energetic style mixed with traditional Burmese poetry. People said that the band's songs often had hidden messages about the difficulties of life in Myanmar. The Independent newspaper noted that while their songs talked about everyday things, they often touched on the challenges people faced, which could be risky.
Phyo Zeya Thaw also became known early on for helping others. At one concert, he worked with poets Saw Wai and Aung Way to raise money. This money went to a charity that helped orphans with HIV-positive founded by comedian Zarganar. He also visited Zarganar's orphanages with fellow rapper Nge Nge to help teach English to the children.
Youth Activism and Arrest
Phyo Zeya Thaw was one of four young people who started Generation Wave. This was a youth group that was against the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which was Myanmar's military government at the time. The group began on 9 October 2007, after big anti-government protests known as the Saffron Revolution.
They used graffiti and pamphlets to share messages supporting democracy. Phyo Zeya Thaw reportedly came up with a popular campaign. It involved bumper stickers that said "Change New Government" to put on cars that already had "CNG" stickers (for "compressed natural gas"). The group also shared movies that were against the government, like Rambo. This film showed the Myanmar military in a bad way and had been banned by the government.
By February 2010, about thirty members of the group had been put in prison. Phyo Zeya Thaw was arrested at a restaurant in Yangon with friends on 12 March 2008. In April, Yan Yan Chan, who helped start Acid with Phyo Zeya Thaw, was also arrested.
Trial and Imprisonment
On 20 November 2008, Phyo Zeya Thaw was sentenced to five years in prison. This was for breaking a law about "illegal organizing." This law was described as very broad, meaning it could make it illegal to set up almost any kind of group. He was given another year in prison for having foreign money. He had about $20 USD in Thai baht, Singapore dollars, and Malaysian ringgit when he was arrested.
Before his sentencing, he told reporters that he felt sad for his country's future. He encouraged people to be brave and reject things they did not like. He also asked them not to support wrong things, even if they couldn't openly support the right ones. Amnesty International said his sentence was wrong. They called him a prisoner of conscience and asked for him to be set free right away.
Release and Political Career
Phyo Zeya Thaw served his time in Kawthaung prison. He was released on 17 May 2011. In August 2011, the police stopped him from performing at a show on Kandawgyi Lake's Hmyawzin Island.
He became a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) political party. In the 2012 Myanmar by-elections, he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives. This is the country's lower house of parliament. He won the seat for the Pobbathiri Township area.
In the 2015 Myanmar general election, he ran again for a seat in the House of Representatives. This time, he won for the Zabuthiri Township area.
His Passing
In November 2021, Phyo Zeya Thaw was arrested by the Myanmar military government. He was accused of planning attacks on government targets. In January 2022, he received a very serious punishment. The military government announced in June 2022 that this punishment would happen soon. On 23 July 2022, it was announced that he had passed away along with three other people, including pro-democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Ko Jimmy.
Reactions to His Passing
Organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International were very surprised and upset by the news. Elaine Pearson, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said that the trials were politically motivated. She also pointed out that the families of those who passed away only learned about it from news reports.
The German government strongly spoke out against these events, which were the first of their kind in Myanmar in over thirty years. Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, tweeted that he was "shocked." He urged UN member countries to honor the lives lost by making this a turning point in how the world responds to the crisis. On 28 July 2022, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) and the European Union released a statement. They strongly spoke against the actions of the military government.
Personal Life
Phyo Zeya Thaw was married to Thazin Nyunt Aung, who was also a rapper.
