Human Rights Activist Wai Wai Nu Visits UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2015) — On Thursday, Sept. 17, Burmese human rights activist Wai Wai Nu will speak to the University of Kentucky campus community about Myanmar’s growing political crisis with a particular focus on Buddhist nationalism and ethic violence in that country.
Wai Wai Nu (pronounced Way-Way-Noo) was arrested as a teenager because of her father’s political activism and comes from the persecuted Muslim Rohingya community. She has dedicated herself to working for human and women’s rights. In 2012, after seven years of imprisonment on political charges Nu was released and quickly formed the Women’s Peace Network Arakan where she now works as director.
She is 28 years old; one quarter of that time spent behind bars. In 2014, she was selected as a "100 Top Woman" by the BBC. In June, President Obama invited her to attend a Ramadan iftar (the evening meal during the period of fasting) at the White House. She was seated at the President’s table, underscoring U.S. interest in this issue.
There are approximately one million Rohingya living in Myanmar’s Rakhine state (also known as Arakan). Most are denied citizenship, with the government implying that they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. They face significant restrictions on travel, education and employment. A recent UNHCR report declared the population “stateless” and “virtually friendless amongst Myanmar’s other ethnic, linguistic and religious communities.”
Nu will speak from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in the west end room on the 18th floor of the Patterson Office Tower. The event is free and open to the public.
Nu’s appearance on campus is sponsored by UK’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and the University of Louisville’s Center for Asian Democracy.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302; gail.hairston@uky.edu