Model Thaw Nandar Aung who criticised Myanmar's military fears repatriation

She said she was seeking the assistance of the United Nations' refugee agency to avoid being sent back to Myanmar, where she feared harsh punishment from the military government she has criticised.

A model from Myanmar who denounced her country's military rulers last year from the stage of a beauty pageant in Thailand said on September 23 that she fears she may be forced back home.

Thaw Nandar Aung, also known as Han Lay, told The Associated Press by phone that she was stuck at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport after being denied reentry to Thailand when she arrived on Wednesday night from a short trip to Vietnam. She has been living in Thailand but needed to exit and reenter in order to extend her stay.

She said she was seeking the assistance of the United Nations' refugee agency to avoid being sent back to Myanmar, where she feared harsh punishment from the military government she has criticised.

People denied entry to Thailand are usually deported to their last point of departure, but the U.N. agency advised her she would be arrested in Vietnam and then repatriated to Myanmar.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanee Sangrat confirmed in a text message that Thaw Nandar Aung was denied entry into Thailand “due to an issue with her travel document.” “The relevant authorities did not make an arrest and have no plans to send her anywhere at this stage,” he said.

Myanmar's military seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and has cracked down heavily on the widespread opposition to its rule. It used lethal force to quash demonstrations and has arrested critics, including actors and other celebrities, under various laws with potential penalties ranging from three years' imprisonment to death. In July, authorities executed four activists who were accused of involvement with terrorist activities.

Thaw Nandar Aung said that on arrival in Bangkok, Thai immigration authorities entered her name into their online database and then asked her if she had reported her passport missing in Vietnam, to which she replied “no." She said they then showed her a screen they said indicated there was an Interpol Red Notice out for her, which means the police force of a country had asked for her to be detained.