PRESS CONFERENCE

Blowing the whistle on Myanmar's junta
Kyaw San Han, Former Special Liaison Police Officer (Myanmar Police Force)
Sean Turnell, Former Special Economic Advisor of Aung San Suu Kyi
Toru Kubota, Documentary filmmaker & Yuki Kitazumi, Journalist

15:00-16:00 Monday, November 20 2023
(The speech and Q & A will be in English)
*Sean Turnell will join the event online.


Following the coup in Myanmar in February 2021, Kyaw San Han wanted to rise up against the junta's oppression and join the Civil Disobedience Movement against the country's military overlords. The snag was that he was a police officer and was expected to crackdown on the people he supported.

Seizing on the opportunity to undergo training in Thailand in May last year, Kyaw San Han fled to Japan, joining other Burmese here and elsewhere in a movement to restore democracy to their homeland. He has been granted refugee status in Japan and is confident now that he can blow the whistle on the military’s human rights violations.

He will speak at the FCCJ alongside Sean Turnell, an Australian who used to be Aung San Suu Kyi's economic advisor. Turnell, for whom Kyaw San Han interpreted, was detained in Myanmar for about two years following the coup.

Toru Kubota, a Japanese filmmaker, and Yuki Kitazumi, a journalist, were also held by the military regime in Myanmar. They will also speak at this event.

How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/zmFLmGC8Lao1EvDZ6
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event.

Professional Activities Committee