Thinzar Shunlei Yi

Democracy activist Myanmar

Region(s): Asia
Country of focus: Myanmar
Based in Myanmar

Details

Current Occupation: Democracy activist Myanmar
Organization/Institution: Action Committee for Democracy Development
Language: Burmese, English

Media

Myanmar’s new reality without Aung San Suu Kyi Deutsche Welle Sep 22, 2023

Speech at the World Expression Forum Norway May 24, 2023

Sexual violence in the fog of war Frontier Myanmar May 22, 2023

Myanmar military government offers cash rewards to defectors AP May 10, 2023

‘Worse than Japanese wartime cruelty’ – NUG Minister and rights activist speak out on Myanmar junta crimes Mizzima Apr 8, 2023

Many women in Myanmar doxxed and abused on Telegram by supporters of the military As Equals CNN Feb 2023

Myanmar coup anniversary: ‘Silent strike’ marks two years of military rule BBC News Feb 1, 2023

Myanmar’s pro-democracy women targeted with doxxing and hate speech BBC Newsnight Jan 26, 2023

Why military defections still matter to Myanmar’s revolution Oped Frontier Myanmar Dec 3, 2022

Myanmar’s crisis is on the agenda for Biden and East and Southeast Asian leaders NPR Nov 11, 2022

The National Unity Government cannot afford to ignore past injustices if it truly seeks to free Myanmar from military rule Myanmar Now Aug 24, 2022

The U.S. Can Put Sanctions on Russian Gas to Punish Putin. I’m Asking It to Do the Same in Myanmar Oped New York Times Jun 23, 2022

Thinzar Shunlei Yi « Je me bats pour la dignité humaine et la démocratie» La Croix Apr 16, 2022

‘I Can Get Killed.’ A Leading Activist Talks About Her Role in the Fight Against Myanmar’s Junta Time Mar 23, 2021

Meet the new generation driving Myanmar’s resistance PBS Mar 12, 2022

Myanmar Activist: We Want Our Own Script NewNaratif Feb 15, 2021

Yangon calm masks Myanmar’s pain 1 year after military takeover Nikkei Asia Feb 1, 2022

One year since Myanmar’s coup, the military has been unable to stamp out the resistance NPR Feb 1, 2022

Myanmar’s deadly spiral: One year after coup, can civil war be avoided? France24 Feb 1, 2022

Myanmar’s Military Mindset The Diplomat Feb 1, 2022

Aung San Suu Kyi Falls, but Myanmar’s Democratic Hopes Move On  NY Times Dec 7, 2021

Sidelining of tarnished icon Aung San Suu Kyi leaves Myanmar’s democratic hopes in hands of others LA Times Dec 6, 2021

Aung San Suu Kyi Is Going to Prison. But the Resistance Has Learned to Fight Without Her Time Dec 6, 2021

Le portrait Thinzar Shunlei Yi, tordre le coup d’Etat Liberation Nov 25, 2021

Thinzar Shunlei Yi: «L’armée birmane doit être démantelée» Le Figaro Nov 23, 2021

The open-source investigators trying to bring justice to Myanmar FT Magazine Nov 18, 2021

PERSPECTIVE Myanmar activist: ‘The risk I’m taking is nothing compared to people on the ground’ France 24 Oct 18, 2021

The National Unity Government cannot afford to ignore past injustices if it truly seeks to free Myanmar from military rule Oped Myanmar Now Aug 24, 2021

Whats Happening in Myanmar Australian Broadcasting Corp Foreign Correspondent July 29, 2021

Sphere of Influence Vanity Fair July 2, 2021

‘We belong to the future’ The Weekend Australian June 26, 2021

‘Risking Everything.’ Myanmar Activist Talks About Her Fight  Time Magazine Mar 23, 2021

We ‘Have the Mind to Win This Battle’- Myanmar Activist Speaks Out About Coup, Crackdown VOA Mar 13, 2021

Myanmar Protest Leader Wants The Military Out And Isn’t Interested In Negotiating NPR Radio Mar 12, 2021

A New Generation Takes the Lead in Myanmar Protests Wall Street Journal Mar 10, 2021

Myanmar security forces shoot and kill at least 34 pro-democracy demonstrators CBC News Mar 3, 2021

Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters defy rigid gender roles – and subvert stereotypes about women to their advantage quote in The Conversation May 12, 2021

A Pro Democracy Activist Explains What Went Wrong in Myanmar Video Vice World News Jan 22, 2021

Thinzar Shunlei Yi (@thinzashunleiyi) is a democracy activist and human rights defender who is campaigning globally against the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup in Myanmar. She is the advocacy coordinator for Action Committee for Democracy Development, a coalition of 12 community-based social and political networks comprised of diverse backgrounds established in 2013 to build a democratic federal state in Myanmar.

Her autobiography, Mon combat contre la junte birmane (My fight against the Burmese junta), was co-written with journalist Guillaume Pajot and published by Robert Laffont in the French language in 2022.

Thinzar was a TV host for Under 30 Dialogue, an online advocacy platform at Free TV Channel Mizzima TV for young people in Myanmar. The third season finished in January, 2021, and its future is uncertain. Under 30 Dialogue kicked off as a Live Event attended by nearly 100 young people to discuss the Rakhine State Crisis (2017, September) when the Myanmar military violently drove Rohingya people from their homes.

Under 30 Dialogue was a weekly program produced by Mizzima, sponsored by Parami Round Table in partnership with Yangon Youth Network. Mizzima Media was established in 1998 in New Delhi, India, by journalists and other veterans of Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

Thinzar received a 2022 Magnitsky award that recognizes brave journalists, politicians and activists in the field of human rights. In 2016, she received the Emerging Young Leaders Award from the U.S. State Department.