Mingalabar, dear brothers and sisters, young leaders of CYONA, honored guests, and friends—

It is a profound honor and privilege to stand before you today as your Guest of Honour at this year’s CYONA Convention. Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and the Chair for inviting me, and to each and every one of you for the vital work you are doing to uplift and empower Chin youth.

The theme of this year’s convention, “Our Voice. Our Future,” could not be more timely or more powerful. I think – These four words carry the weight of our past, the urgency of our present, and the promise of our future. They remind us that our voices /your voices are not simply sounds—they are declarations of identity. They are expressions of resilience. And they are instruments of change.

I speak to you today not only as a foreign minister of National Unity Government of Myanmar, not only as someone who has been imprisoned for speaking out, but as a sister, as a daughter of Burma, and as someone who believes in the unbreakablepower of youth to transform the world. I have seen firsthand what happens when voices are silenced—and I have seen the miracles that can happen when people speak up, even in whispers, even in fear.

Your voices matter. Your stories matter. And your future—our future—depends on what you do with them.

As members of the Chin community, you carry a unique legacy—one of courage, faith, and perseverance. You have endured the pain of conflict and displacement, the trauma of injustice and exile. But you have not let that define you. You are redefining the narrative. You are leading, building, and dreaming. You are standing tall not only as representatives of your ethnic identity, but as architects of a better Burma and a more just world.

Today, I urge you to remember this: your voice is not only yours. It belongs to the generations that came before you—and the generations that will come after. When you speak, you echo the hopes of those who never got the chance. When you act, you build bridges that others will walk across.

But voice alone is not enough. We must also act with purpose. We must unite across differences and move forward together. Our strength is in our unity—ethnic, political, generational. We cannot afford division. The future of Burma—the future of our people—requires us to be one voice, one force, one future.

As you gather here in the United States—a nation long known as the land of opportunity—let us be reminded: opportunity does not mean ease. It means possibility. It means responsibility. And for you, the Chin youth living in this land, that responsibility is profound. You have the tools, the freedoms, and the platforms that so many back home are still denied. I hope that you can use them wisely. Use them boldly. Use them to speak truth, to build peace, to create opportunity for those who come after you.

Let the opportunities you discover here strengthen your commitments to your people. May your success not only elevate you personally, but also resonate deeply within your community—within Burma—and inspire a brighter future for all.

As I reflect on my life while I am here with you guys, I cannot help but revisit my youth. Dear young leaders, though I spent years behind bars, I have never lost faith in the future. It’s challenging to convey the profound impact of having spent eleven years in confinement, especially starting at such a young age as 22. I watched as the world outside continued to evolve. Friends matured without my presence, relationships transformed, and opportunities blossomed—all while I was confined in a space that felt like a time capsule.

In that environment, freedom emerged as a beacon of hope, illuminating the shadows that surrounded me. While my youth may have been marked by confinement, it has endowed me with a unique perspective on life, one that I choose to embrace as I move forward. I strive to empower others to appreciate their freedom, to remind them that it is a precious privilege not to be taken for granted. With every opportunity that unfolds before me, I aim to celebrate the life I now possess—one that honors my past while embodying the promise of a future worth living.But our journey has not finished yet.

That future is not something we wait for—it is something we create. You are already creating it—with your words, your choices, your unity, your dreams.

So let your voice be clear. Let your action be bold. Let your future be built in hope.

 

I believe. Together, we will rise. Together, we will build a new tomorrow. And together, we will see a free, federal, and democratic Burma.

Thank you.