Myanmar beauty queen who spoke against coup granted asylum in Canada

Thaw Nandar Aung, better known as Han Lay, has arrived safely in Toronto after being held for days in Bangkok by Thai immigration officers

The beauty queen made headlines last year when she urged the world to ‘save’ the people of Myanmar from the military

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Myanmar beauty queen Han Lay speaks by video call during her arrival at Toronto Pearson International Aiport on Wednesday while she waits for a connecting flight. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:30am, 29 Sep 2022Updated: 1:41pm, 29 Sep 2022

A Myanmar beauty queen who spoke out against the military coup in her homeland landed on Wednesday in Canada, where she has been granted asylum after being stranded at an airport in Thailand for nearly a week.

Thaw Nandar Aung, better known by her professional moniker Han Lay, “has arrived safely in Toronto”, said Tin Maung Htoo of the Burmese Canadian Action Network.

“She’s now waiting for a [connecting] flight to Charlottetown” in eastern Canada, where she plans to settle and continue her activism against the coup that ousted Myanmar’s civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, he said.

Tin Maung Htoo also confirmed that her claim for political asylum in Canada had been accepted.

The beauty queen had been held at Bangkok’s main international airport since last Thursday after arriving on a flight from Vietnam, over what Thai immigration officials said was a problem with her passport. She had been living in Thailand since fleeing Myanmar last year.