While popular Burmese comedian Zarganar spent his second consecutive birthday behind bars in remote Myitkyina prison in northern Burma on Wednesday, a small group of dissidents celebrated his 49th birthday at a Buddhist monastery in Chiang Mai in Thailand.
“We offered alms this morning to the monks in commemoration of Ko Zarganar’s birthday,” said fellow comedian Godzilla of the well-known Burmese troupe Thee Lay Thee A-nyeint. “After all, he has made a real sacrifice for his people. We wish that he––and all the other persons who have made such sacrifices––live long and free from danger.” Zarganar’s sister-in-law, Ma Nyein, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that Zarganar is suffering from the skin disease pruritus. “I last saw him on Dec. 7, 2009. Like other families of political prisoners, we expect him to be released this year, but it all depends on the Burmese authorities.”
“He is a very funny man who inspires confidence,” said Kyaw Thu, a famous Burmese actor. “He is a true artiste and I very much appreciate his good deeds and brave spirit.”
Zarganar was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the humanitarian relief effort in the Irrawaddy delta after Cyclone Nargis devastated the region in 2008.
For years he has been a thorn in the side of Burma's ruling generals, constantly criticizing them and the government with sharp wit and fierce political satire.
Born Thura to a political family, his parents were well-known writers Nan Nyunt Swe and Daw Kyi Oo.
Zarganar graduated in dental medicine from Rangoon University in 1985.
Adopting the stage name “Zarganar,” meaning “tweezers,” he performed amateur stage comedy shows at Rangoon universities until in 1986, he formed the “Mya Ponnama Anyeint” troupe.
He quickly became known for his “than gyat,” a kind of traditional satirical show popular during Thingyan, the Burmese New Year.
He got away with a highly popular play, “Beggar,” which savagely ridiculed the late dictator Gen Ne Win and his cronies.
Zarganar was arrested for participating in the nationwide uprising in 1988. He was in prison for the next five out of six years.
Between 1997 and 2006, he was banned frequently from show business by the military authorities for making controversial video documentaries and holding interviews with foreign media.
Zarganar wrote a screenplay based on late Gen Aung San's biography and also directed three short videos and a movie to raise HIV/AIDS awareness with the help of local NGOs.
He became best known for his performances of A-nyeint Pwe, a form of theatre that combines dance, music, opera and comedy, which at times is politically and socially driven and seeks to make light of the stresses of everyday life.
Continually pushing the envelope against government censorship, Zarganar formed a comedy troupe called Thee Lay Thee A-nyeint, which performed mostly in Rangoon and delighted audiences with satirical skits lampooning the military junta.
In 1991, Zarganar was awarded the Lillian Hellman and Dashiel Hammett Award, given by the Fund for Free Expression, a committee organized by New York-based Human Rights Watch.
He was arrested on Sept. 26, 2007, for participating in the nationwide “Saffron Revolution.” He and his friend, actor Kyaw Thu, made a public show of offering food and water to Buddhist monks as they prepared to lead anti-government protests. Moreover, he urged the public to support the monks in radio interviews with exiled media.
After Cyclone Nargis devastated in Irrawaddy delta in early May 2008, Zarganar organized a group of about 400 Burmese volunteers to provide disaster relief to survivors in cyclone-ravaged areas.
He was rearrested on June 4, 2008, after a raid at his home in which the authorities seized his computer, about US $1,000 in cash and three CDs containing footage of May’s cyclone devastation, the opulent wedding of junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s youngest daughter and the film “Rambo 4,” in which Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone fights Burmese government soldiers in a mission to rescue kidnapped Westerners.
In November 2008, Zarganar was sentenced to 59 years in prison. Rangoon Divisional Court later reduced the prison sentence to 35 years after an appeal by his family. In December 2008, he was transferred to Myintkyina prison in Kachin State in the country's far north.
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