May Myat Noe

May Myat Noe (Burmese: မေမြတ်နိုး; born That Htet Aung on October 13, 1998) is a Burmese beauty pageant title holder and fashion model. She won the Miss Asia Pacific World 2014 title in May 2014.

Controversy

Noe was stripped of her title three months after her win. The organisers claim that she complained about scheduling for the months after her win, and wanted her mother to stay with her during that 3-month period, but was unwilling to pay the added expenses that would be incurred. Organisers also claimed she was rude and not returning phone calls.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Noe was 15 years old during the time of competition, three years younger than the suggested minimum, which reads that potential contestants "should be female, single between the ages of 18-27 years old.” Organisers allowed her to enter the competition at 15 years of age, and urged her to undergo extensive plastic surgery. According to the organisers, she was expected to have the surgery because her breasts were considered too small and there was an expectation that the sponsored surgery be performed for all winners, as it had been in the past. The organisers further stated that Noe had returned to Myanmar with the crown, and would need to return it.^[7] Apparently, Noe lied about her age as 18 years old in order to participate in a local contest in Yangon in 2013.^[8][9][10]

Noe, who denies having had performed the breast enhancement surgery the organisers claim she had done, later criticised the organisers by saying "I'm not even proud of this crown, I don't want a crown from an organization with such a bad reputation. But I won't give it back to the Koreans unless they apologise. Not just to me but my country for giving it a bad image." She would hand over the crown to Burmese authorities, but will not allow it to return to the organisers in South Korea until she receives a formal apology. The Miss Asia Pacific World pageant has experienced a number of controversies since its establishment.^[11] She further stated that she, at 16 years old, was coaxed to be an escort (provide sexual favours) for Korean tycoons, "I was told that, in order to generate funds to produce my music album, I need to accept invitations to escort some business tycoons whenever they require my company".^[12]

Update

During a media interview with MBC TV known as Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation on September 14 at Yangon, Myanmar, Noe said "I am still a minor. If I'm saying I've operated my breast, then the organization is backward. When my mother and I signed the consent operation agreement, I thought it was medical check. I didn't know the meaning of the signature.^{[13][14][15][16][17]} The investigation team of the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant announced on December 4 that Miss Myanmar was urged to entertain rich Korean businessmen to pay for her vocal training and music album production. The investigation committee led by Jung Weon-young stated that the head of its talent agency Choi was involved in such charges and Choi also had similar contracts with other pageant participants and overseas media firms. Now, this case is submitted to the police for further investigation.^[18] However, according to DVB News channel on December 5, 2014, David Kim, the public relations officer of the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant, denied such statement speculated on Korean media. He said that the statement made by Jung Weon-young was a fabrication as he had stopped working for the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant since 2011. Mr. Kim also claimed that his organization sued Korean media and press which stated that May Myat Noe was telling the truth.^[19] The Organization accused Noe to Gangnam Police Station, Seoul in September 2015 for defamation, false accusation^[17][20][21] On April 7, 2016, the prosecuting attorney Ha Ji-Soo at Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office^[22] ordered That Htet Aung May Myat Noe Suspension Of Prosecution, case number [] in the crime of libel by mass communication, prosecute May Myat Noe statute of limitations by 1 September 2022.

References