Hla-Phyu Aye

Hla-Phyu Aye (May Oo)

"May Oo May Oo Aye fled Burma as a high school student following the crackdown of Burma's 8/8/88 popular revolt and took refuge in the Karen National Union-controlled areas from 1988 to 1993. In 1993, she came to the United States as a refugee and has been active in the exiles' efforts to help bring about change in Burma. As one of the founders of the Women's Affairs Department of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (in exile), May Oo was involved in human rights initiatives in Geneva and New York sponsored by the UNHCR, the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW). She was elected President of the Karen National League (1997-2002), an umbrella network of five Karen organizations in North America, Australia and Thailand. As Director of Communications for the Washington-based Free Burma Coalition, May Oo co-authored a comprehensive report on the political situation in Burma and prospects for national reconciliation in that country (Common Problems, Shared Responsibilities, September 2004)."


 * Research Fellow, Center for Constitutional Democracy in Plural Societies