Myanmar’s Miss Universe Contestant: ‘Our People Are Dying’

Myanmar's Miss Universe contestant¹ used the pageant² to criticize the military government that seized power in February.

The contestant, Thuzar Wint Lwin, spoke³ out in a video message created for the pageant, which took place Sunday in Hollywood, Florida. "Our people are dying and being shot by the military every day," she said in the video.

Myanmar's military overthrew⁴ the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The government has used deadly force against individuals protesting the overthrow⁵. Activist⁶ groups say nearly 800 people have been killed by security forces in demonstrations⁷ across the country. More than 5,000 people have been arrested in connection with protests.

"I would like to urge everyone to speak about Myanmar," Thuzar Wint Lwin said. "As Miss Universe Myanmar since the coup⁸, I have been speaking out as much as I can," she added.

The Miss Universe contestant is among numerous well-known individuals in Myanmar to voice opposition⁹ to the military takeover.

Thuzar Wint Lwin did not make it to the final round of the pageant. She did, however, win the award for Best National Costume. It was based on the ethnic¹⁰ clothing of her Chin people from northwestern Myanmar.

During the costume competition, she raised a sign over her head that read: "Pray for Myanmar."

Mexico's Andrea Meza won the Miss Universe competition.

In another message to Myanmar, Pope Francis urged people there to stay strong and not permit small conflicts to turn into big divisions. The pope spoke during a special religious service Sunday in Rome. Some members of Italy's Myanmar community, many of them students, attended the service.

"Your beloved country of Myanmar is experiencing violence, conflict and repression," the pope told attendees.

He urged people to draw strength from teachings in the Bible, Christianity's holy book, which describes the final hours of Jesus Christ. "He does not resign himself to evil, he does not let himself be overwhelmed by grief," the pope said.

Francis, who visited Myanmar in 2017, has repeatedly denounced the military overthrow. Most of Myanmar's population is Buddhist¹¹, but the country is also home to about 800,000 Roman Catholics.

Francis said people should aim to keep their faith and hope "even in the dark night of grief, even when evil seems to have the upper hand." He also urged the people of Myanmar not to give up their values and to try to remain unified¹².

Since seizing power, the military has struggled to govern. Protests, strikes and a civil disobedience campaign have hurt businesses and government services. An armed resistance has also gotten stronger in the country's northwest.

The military has said it seized power because of wrongdoing in elections held in November. The country's electoral commission has rejected the claims of wrongdoing.

Words in This Story

contestant – n. one who participates in a competition

pageant – n. a beauty contest

coup – n. sudden attempt by a small group of people, often military members, to seize and take over the government of a country

overwhelm – v. give too much of a thing to someone

grief – n. a cause of deep sadness

faith – n. the belief that something is good, right and able to be trusted

have the upper hand – phr. to get into a stronger position than someone else so that you are controlling a situation 

1 contestant   

n.竞争者，参加竞赛者

参考例句：

• The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
• The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。

2 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

12 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。