A former Myanmar beauty queen has been denied entry and detained at Suvarnabhumi airport, immigration authorities said yesterday.
Miss Grand International Myanmar 2020, Thaw Nandar Aung, aka Han Lay, was not arrested as earlier reported by some media outlets, Deputy Immigration Bureau chief Pol Maj Gen Archayon Kraithong told the Bangkok Post.
He said Han Lay was returning to Thailand from Da Nang in Vietnam and arrived at the airport on Wednesday afternoon.
An immigration officer spotted an irregularity with Han Lay's passport, so she was denied entry under Section 12 of the 1979 Immigration Act 1979, Pol Maj Gen Archayon said.
This was why she was detained at the airport, not because of any arrest warrant, he said.
She will be deported back to the country of origin or she can fly to an alternative destination subject to approval by the airline she flew with, he added.
A source said Han Lay's passport may have been revoked by Myanmar's military junta, hence the irregularity and her being denied entry.
A Facebook account named "Natty in Myanmar" claimed Han Lay has sought asylum with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Thailand.
Reports said she had been staying in Thailand after issuing an anti-junta statement during the Miss Grand International 2020 pageant in Bangkok.
An arrest warrant was issued against her by the Myanmar military for speaking out against the regime while on the stage as one of the 20 finalists in the beauty competition.
At the time she said she was in contact with her family and that they were safe. She had lived in Thailand ever since.