With braided hair, pink plastic clogs and a wide grin, 18-year-old Moe Pyae Sone stands straight before a camera and tells of her decision to leave her family, her school and her village.
“I am from northern Shan state and I’ve come to Kayin state for the revolution,” she says to Radio Free Asia.
Moe Pyae Sone pauses for a moment at an internally displaced people’s camp just south of Myawaddy, where ethnic rebels recently overran military junta positions.
Wearing camouflage pants and a tactical vest over a traditional red garment, she recalls her participation in protests – like so many other young people – against Myanmar’s military junta after the Feb. 1, 2021, coup d’etat.
Knowing of her desire to fight, her parents asked her to remain in school, she says. But in 2022, she secretly sold a pair of earrings to pay for travel expenses.
On the other side of the country – in Chin state – she joined resistance forces and eventually became a trainer.
“In Chin state, I’ve gained combat experience,” she says. “I’ve participated in quite a few battles.
She speaks matter-of-factly and occasionally lets loose with a nervous giggle.
Earlier this year, she made her way to Kayin state to join with another group of anti-junta fighters.
She’s the eldest of three siblings. She says her mother still lives in the same village in Shan state.
“Of course they worry about me,” she says.
Then she jumps in the back of a pickup truck with a half dozen others. She turns around to wave goodbye – still smiling – as they drive off toward a junta outpost.
Edited by Matt Reed.
Taylor Swift channels her bridal Grammy look in Fortnight video teaser
Interview: China responsible, proactive player in global climate governance, says Kuwaiti expert
Ethiopia says ready to play constructive role as new BRICS member
Tyler Lussi powers Courage to win over Thorns in NWSL
DEAR CAROLINE: Our son and daughter
How to get rid of NYC rats without brutality? Birth control is one idea
Brad Marchand caps Bruins' four
Iowa Supreme Court overturns $790,000 sexual harassment award to government employee
At least three people dead in shooting on university campus in Las Vegas
Samuel L. Jackson reunites with Pulp Fiction co
Japan looks into Tokyo airport crash, over 300 flights canceled