Her name is Kyal Sin and she was brutally murdered this week. She wore this black shirt that said “Everything will be OK” when she was shot in the head by Burmese military. Know her courage. Here’s how her memory may stop this coup and help protect democracies everywhere (THREAD) 
WHO KILLED KYAL? One man set this chaos in motion - Min Aung Hlaing. A General so unremarkable that colleagues once gave him a nickname meaning “cat feces” as he reminded them of "something deposited quietly but leaving a powerful stink." 2/14
UNREMARKABLY REMARKABLE: Perhaps incorrect to describe him as unremarkable because he orchestrated the Rohingya genocide. Nearly a million displaced. Tens of thousands massacred. Thousands of women and girls raped. While quiet in personality, he is ruthless in action. 3/14
WHY THE COUP? In some ways the answer is easy. His ego was hurt by election loss to a woman he hates. Aung San Suu Kyi. An icon of peace that chose to enable the General’s genocide. However flawed she is, her party overwhelmingly won election over the General’s party. 4/14
The honest and sad truth is that Burma never fully achieved democracy. Min Aung Hliang always had one hand on the wheel. After he underestimated Aung San Suu Kyi’s strength in last November election, he claimed voter fraud and set the groundwork for the coming coup. 5/14
Suu Kyi is now back under house arrest. Min Aung Hliang will likely never underestimate her again. But he may now be underestimating someone else -- the youth of the nation. Kyal (18 yr old) and her generation came of age with the hope of democracy. cnn.com/2021/03/05/asi… 6/14
These are young people who aren’t just marching; they’re organizing. They’re employing new tools and tactics to put real economic and social pressure on the Burmese military regime. You can read more about them here: news.yahoo.com/myanmar-digita… 7/14
These young fearless children of democracy are now Min Aung Hliang’s worst nightmare. What strikes me as I see these young people in the line of fire is their determination. History is not on their side, but they are determined to defy it; even if it means their life. 8/14
I read about a youth activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi. She said “People will not back down...Once we’re outside, we already perceive ourselves as dead bodies. We know what we are facing: a true terrorist group.” 9/14
What the General is learning is that the fate of democracy there does not rest just on the shoulders of Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite the poor implementation of democracy thus far, the idea and dream of democracy has clearly taken hold. The General cannot take that spark away. 10/14
WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO US? This isn’t just a fight for Burma. As we see from this report from @freedomhouse, democracy everywhere is under attack. For some of those protesting, they have never known a year in which democracy wasn’t retreating. freedomhouse.org/report/freedom… 11/14
When I hear what were among Kyal’s final words “We are not going to run,” I and many others are inspired to stand up for our democracy and to not run away from the deep challenges we face. And like in Burma, the youth in America and around the world are leading the way. 12/14
I hope @POTUS and @SecBlinken lift up Kyal and the youth in Burma. I urge them to consider convening a virtual White House Youth Summit and invest in digital and tech tools to support youth civil society in Burma and around the world, including here at home. 13/14
Rest in peace Kyal. I wish you can know that you have inspired your nation as well as those on the other side of the planet. We are not going to run. 14/14
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