Meet Myo Myint, HBO's 'Burma Soldier'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2011) — Myo Myint, a former Burmese soldier who is now an advocate for peace and democracy, will speak Monday morning at the University of Kentucky at a screening of "Burma Soldier," the HBO documentary that tells his story.

The event, sponsored by the UK Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, is free and open to the public. It will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Aug. 22, in the Center Theater at the UK Student Center.

Combining interviews, archival footage and still photographs, "Burma Soldier" traces the history of Burma from 1948, when the country gained independence from Britain, showing how it became the nation it is today. 

Told by Myo Myint, a former Burmese soldier who waits in a refugee camp in Thailand while seeking asylum in the United States, the documentary recalls the journey that brought him there. With the country consumed by ongoing civil war, Myo Myint was a witness to countless acts of brutality. 

After he was hit by a mortar shell and lost an arm, a leg and several fingers, Myo Myint had a change of heart, left the army, and began promoting democracy. Sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1988 for protesting, he was released at age 41.

One of more than a million Burmese who have fled to other countries to escape oppression, Myo Myint now works for peace, freedom and democracy in Burma from his new home. Since 1962, Burma’s ruling military party has continued to operate a closed media where foreign journalists are banned, censorship reigns and access to information is strictly controlled.

MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, (859) 323-2396; keith.hautala@uky.edu.