Wai Moe Naing

Wai Moe Naing (Burmese: ဝေမိုးနိုင်; born 26 September 1995), also known as Monywa Panda, is a Burmese writer, politician, activist and one of the most prominent leaders of anti-coup movement in Myanmar.[1][2] He rose to prominence for his role organising daily anti-coup protests in Monywa.[3]

In this Burmese name, the given name is Wai Moe Naing. There is no family name.
Wai Moe Naing
ဝေမိုးနိုင်
Born26 September 1995 (1995-09-26) (age 28)
Burma
Occupations
  • Writer
  • politician
  • activist

Literary career

At the age of thirteen, his first short story "Pwint Chain Tan Lyin" was published on Phoo Ngone Se Kyaw Thet, a magazine. He wrote several short stories on the local magazines such as Yokeshin Tay Kabyar, Mahaythi, and Yanat Thit.

Political career

Wai Moe Naing is a member of Monywa's General Strike Committee and the Sagaing Regional Youth Committee. He served the chair of the Monywa University Student Union from 2014 to 2015.[4][5] On 15 April 2021, he was hit by a car and arrested by the junta's armed forces. He was charged with murder, unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement, abduction with intent to murder, and incitement.[6][7] During the trial, Wai Moe Naing was forced to represent himself, after his lawyers, were arrested. On 12 August 2022, a military court found him guilty of multiple counts of incitement, which is commonly used by the military junta to target regime critics, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.[8] On 20 October, he was sentenced to an additional 4 years for incitement and violation of COVID-19 restrictions.[9] The sentence has been condemned by PEN America.[10]

References
  1. "'Panda of Monywa' Remains in Myanmar Regime's Custody as Fears for his Safety Grow". The Irrawaddy. 2021-04-16.
  2. "Mother of Prominent Protest Leader Detained by Myanmar Junta Fears for his Health". The Irrawaddy. 2021-04-21.
  3. "In Myanmar, Pair of Protest Activists Share Common Goal: Root Out Dictatorship". The Irrawaddy. 2021-04-09.
  4. "Wai Moe Naing, prominent leader of anti-coup movement, detained in Monywa". Myanmar NOW. 15 April 2021.
  5. "Junta accuses Wai Moe Naing of treason as charges pile up". Myanmar NOW. 29 April 2021.
  6. "Mother of detained activist Wai Moe Naing demands her son be granted access to healthcare". Myanmar NOW. 18 April 2021.
  7. "Wai Moe Naing faces 28-year prison sentence as junta hits him with five charges". Myanmar NOW. 24 April 2021.
  8. "Myanmar: PEN Myanmar member facing potential death sentence". Pen International. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  9. "Beyond the Headlines: Myanmar junta denies incarcerated activist permission to attend funeral of mother killed outside Insein Prison". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  10. "PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Myanmar Writer-Activist Wai Moe Naing and Calls for His Release". PEN America. 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
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