Beauty Queen takes to arms for her people

Myanmar’s former beauty queen, Htar Htet Htet, 32, has joined the rebels in opposition to the ruling junta. She shared photos of herself on social media, in a jungle with an assault rifle.

“Today marks 100 days since we lost everything,” wrote Htar Htet Htet, 32, in her social media post. “The time has come to fight back.”

The coup ended the country’s decade-long experiment with democracy after half a century of military rule.

In 2013, Htar Htet Htet represented Myanmar in the first Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Thailand. Before jumping into black combat fatigues, and heading to the jungle, she also worked as a gymnastics instructor.

“I will fight back as much as I can. I am ready and prepared to give up everything. I am even ready to pay with my life,” she wrote. The ongoing civil disobedience movement has seen workers from multiple professions fighting together against the military regime.

A military takeover and

the ousting of the government on February 1 plunged the Southeast Asian country into crisis. Around 800 people have been killed by security forces in a violent post-coup crackdown.

There have been several reports of young activists fleeing a military manhunt and taking refuge in the border homelands with Myanmar’s ethnic minorities.

Others are believed to have chosen voluntarily to take up arms, training alongside rebels who have waged insurgencies against the military for decades, as they seek to secure more autonomy for their communities.