Remembering Kyal Kyal
We are continuing in our quest to ensure that the 500+ murders that have taken place during this coup are not recorded only as numbers, but that we remember to personalize the victims. As we also support the families of those lost, please consider making a donation to support our efforts.
Today we learn about Kyal Sin Hein, known as Kyal Kyal to his friends. Just 14 years old, he was a 9th grade student who lived on May Kha Street, in 14th Ward of Hlaing Thaya. As his family was quite poor, his parents asked him to beginning earning an income at 11 years old, so he became an apprentice in a motorcycle repair shop. With no school to go to since the military coup, he volunteered to serve on the frontlines of the nonviolence protest in his ward.
He was doing just this on the early morning of March 14th, between the Tit-Hteik and BOC bus stop, to be specific. Without warning police began firing shots, and the girl just in front of Kyal Kyal was shot and began to fall down. Rather than retreating, Kyal Kyal rushed forward to help her. This gave the sniper a clean head shot, which he took, and Kyal Kyal fell over dead.
His friends saw this, but no one could so anything as the soldiers continued to fire and press forward. All his friends could do was take pictures and videos as the soldiers dragged his body away, until he was gone. The corpse has never been returned.
“I can’t find my son anymore. I still can’t believe it. Look at my son’s bag, it is all that is left,” his father said.
The bag is all that is left of Kyal Kyal