Monywa Aung Shin, a senior leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), died of a heart attack on Sunday, a little over a month after he was released from an interrogation center in Yangon, where he had been held since the February 1 coup.
The 76-year-old, a central committee member, was among several top NLD figures rounded up in early morning raids during the coup, and was held at the notorious Yay Kyi Ai interrogation center in Mingalardon Township before being freed in an amnesty on October 18.
Last week he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Tamwe and was sent to Yangon General Hospital, where spent several days before his death. “He said that he had been feeling breathless. He had asthma. It was all too sudden,” said Kay Thwe Moe, his wife.
“It’s such a great loss for us,” she told Myanmar Now.
The junta did not charge Monywa Aung Shin with any crimes while he was in detention, Kay Thwe Moe added. She did not disclose what her husband was asked while detained.
Nathan Maung, who is editor-in-chief of Kamayut Media and was detained at Yay Kyi Ai with Monywa Aung Shin, wrote on Facebook on Sunday that the NLD official stole newspaper and food for him inside the facility.
“I will always remember you as I will always remember the food and newspapers you stole for me while we were both detained. It saddens me a lot that you had to die while we are being ruled by fascists,” wrote the editor, who in June was deported to the US, where he has citizenship.
Monywa Aung Shin worked as an NLD party spokesperson and had a reputation for being more responsive to journalists’ phone calls than others.
He was the chief editor of the D Wave newspaper, published by the NLD, and also wrote a book about the party as well as several books of poetry.
Monywa Aung Shin’s real name was Aye Kyu. He was born in Monywa on May 18, 1945. He attended high school in Yangon’s Mingalar Taungnyunt Township and then trained as a teacher.
He joined the NLD during the democratic uprising of 1988 and served as the chair of the party in Monywa and the vice chair for Sagaing Region.
