"Punk means freedom, says Ng La, his face and body covered heavily in tattoos. list of 4 itemsend of list It's more than just music or fashion it's a way of life, he tells Al Jazeera while tattooing a fellow Myanmar national-in-exile at the back of his punk bar in Mae Sot, in Thailand. To live free was one of the reasons Ng La fled his home in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city."
"The biggest fear was that if I got arrested, I would be deported back into the hands of the Myanmar military, Ng La said. We are no longer afraid of dying, he said, but getting caught by the military would be worse than death. Ng La's journey into exile in Mae Sot is not uncommon for many young people from Myanmar who have fled the civil war back home."
"The coup overturned the results of Myanmar's 2015 and 2020 elections, which were considered the first fair elections in Myanmar's history and were easily won by Aung San Suu Kyi a longtime democracy activist and hero to many in Myanmar. The military takeover also triggered a civil conflict that has killed thousands and seen horror engulf much of the countryside, including air strikes on rural populations, the use of landmines, oppressive conscription laws enacted by the military regime and widespread political oppression including executions."
Ng La is a 28-year-old tattoo artist from Yangon now living as an undocumented Myanmar national in Mae Sot, Thailand, where punk culture anchors his identity. He fled after joining demonstrations following the February 2021 military coup. He fears arrest and deportation back to the military, which he regards as worse than death. The coup overturned the 2015 and 2020 election results won by Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered a civil conflict that has killed thousands. Rural populations have faced air strikes, landmines, forced conscription, and political oppression including executions. Many young people from Myanmar have followed similar routes into exile.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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