Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

Ba Yi ( ) is an ethnic Karen and the only

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

to have won the

Aung San Thuriya This article describes the religious, military and civil orders, decorations and medals of the Union of Myanmar. Religious honorary orders Before and after Myanmar's independence, governments presented two religious orders, Abhidhaja Mahā R ...

Medal, the highest award for gallantry and bravery in

Burma 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 ha ...

(Myanmar) in 1951. Under normal circumstances, the medal is only awarded to members of the

Myanmar Armed Forces The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services includ ...

Service to the country

Saw Ba Yi volunteered in saving a group of government officials sieged by

KNDO KNDO (channel 23) is a television station in Yakima, Washington, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the Spokane-based Cowles Company as part of the KHQ Television Group. KNDO's studios are located on West Yakima Avenue in downto ...

rebels in

Thandaung Thandaung ( Phlone ; ) is a small resort town in the Kayin State of south Myanmar. The majority of its population is Karen. It was developed as a hill station by the British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British peopl ...

in 1951. Though his acts of valour and self-sacrifice preserved the lives of hostages, he was killed in action. He was honoured and awarded the medal posthumously by the

President of Burma The president of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar () is the head of state and constitutional head of government of Myanmar. The president chairs the National Defence and Security Council and normally leads the Cabinet of Myanmar, the ...

then.

Commemorations

* Aung San Thuriya Saw Ba Yi Street in downtown

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

is named in his honour.

References

Burmese Karen people 1951 deaths {{Myanmar-bio-stub