LGBT couple commits suicide in Minbya

By Admin 14 Aug 2025

DMG Newsroom

14 August 2025, Minbya

An LGBT couple died by suicide on Tuesday after jumping off a bridge in Minbya Township, Arakan State, according to locals.

Ma Khin Moe Than, 22, of Okkarpyan Ward, Minbya Township, and Ma Yi Yi Than, 23, of Yinyekan Village, Pauktaw Township, jumped to their deaths at around 5:30 p.m. on August 12.

A man saw the two jump off the bridge and reported the incident to the Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security.

When DLEPS officials went to investigate the area, they found a note on the Kyat Sin Bridge that said, "May we meet again in life," and some farewell letters from Khin Moe Than to her family.

The bodies of the two are still being searched for as they leapt into the Lemyo River.

In Myanmar society, LGBT people often face oppression, ridicule, and scorn.

"I think they committed suicide because of the society that doesn't accept different sexual orientations. There is a great need for Arakan society to be a society that accepts girls and boys who love each other, without criticising or attacking them," said an LGBT person from Minbya.

In Myanmar, LGBT people are not only treated with contempt in society, but also legally, as people with different sexual orientations are subject to criminal prosecution under Section 377 of the Penal Code.

Same-sex marriage is legal in countries such as Spain, Canada, and the Netherlands, and LGBT rights are protected by law.

In Myanmar, LGBT people face social exclusion, oppression, and stigma, as well as legal threats, rights violations, and discrimination.

"This is their right. They have the right to live freely in society based on their existence. We need to understand and accept that we are all human beings," said a human rights activist in Arakan State.

LGBT activists say that LGBT people commit suicide every year in Myanmar due to societal environments that do not accept the existence of LGBT people.