Khat Thi (also spelt Khet Thi, ; born Zaw Tun, 1976 — 8 March 2021), was a Burmese revolutionary poet who was killed during the 2021 Myanmar protests in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. His poems were widely used for Anti-junta resistance movement in Myanmar. Khet Thi was at least the third poet to die during protests since the coup (February 1). He became an icon of the anti-coup protest movement after he was dead. He is considered one of the most prominent heroes of Burma's pro-democracy movement and is remembered as a hero of Myanmar's Democracy. He was named one of the "Outstanding People's Stars of 2021" by

The Irrawaddy ''The Irrawaddy'' () is a news website by the Irrawaddy Publishing Group (IPG), founded in 1990 by Burmese exiles living in Thailand. As a publication produced by former Burmese activists who fled violent crackdowns on anti-military protests in ...

Career

From 2004 to 2012, Khat Thi worked as a junior engineer (S.A.E.) on the Development Affairs Committee in

Shwebo Shwebo ( ) is a city in Sagaing Region, Burma, 110 km north-west of Mandalay between the Irrawaddy and the Mu rivers. The city was the origin of the Konbaung Dynasty, established by King Alaungpaya in 1752, that was the dominant politic ...

and

Monywa Township Monywa is a township in Monywa District in the Sagaing Region of Burma, Myanmar (Burma).

s. He had been an engineer before quitting his job in 2012 to focus on his poetry and to support himself by making and selling ice cream and cakes. His wife Chaw Su, is an officer for the Telecommunications Department who was active in the

Civil Disobedience Movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

(CDM) of work stoppages in opposition to military rule.

Political activities

Khat Thi was active in the 1996 student uprising and the 2007

Saffron Revolution The Saffron Revolution (; ) was a series of economic and political protests and demonstrations that took place during August, September, and October 2007 in Myanmar. The protests were triggered by the decision of the national military govern ...

. Following the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

, he led anti-military protests in Pale. He wrote a post on

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two weeks after the coup; His poem "Shin Than Chin Shindan" (ရှင်သန်ခြင်း ရှင်းတမ်း) was widely renowned among protesters. One of his most well known lines was, "They shoot in the head, but they don't know the revolution is in the heart." It was a poem that reminded him. Khat Thi was taken into custody on the night (at around 9PM) of May 8 for questioning at a detention center in the town of

in central Myanmar that has been the scene of heavy protests against military rule. Although his wife Chaw Su was detained at the Shwebo police station. He was taken to an undisclosed location and died during his interrogation by the military. His body returned to his family hours later with his internal organs removed and had bruising on the chest, along the ribs, and on his wrists. But, authorities said that he had died of a heart attack. The junta forces did not disclose any information regarding Khet Thi's arrest or his cause of death. His family has brought his body to home on the evening of May 10. His funeral on 10 May 2021 was attended by several thousands of protesters. About 2,000 people protested in the Black Movementto mark the one-month anniversary of the death of Khat Thi. The protesters then recited poems in memory of Khat Thi and prayed for the fallen martyrs.

Revolutionary poem

"Shin Than Chin Shindan" (Survival Explanations) composed by Khat Thi is used for anti-coup resistance in Myanmar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khat Thi 2021 deaths Burmese democracy activists People from Sagaing Region 1976 births Burmese male poets 21st-century Burmese poets