Push Admin

Article (news)

20240523-missgrandinternational

Agence France-Presse

BANGKOK -- Myanmar has been scrapped as the host of this year&#x27;s Miss Grand International beauty pageant due to the civil war roiling the country, its organizers told AFP on Thursday.Dozens of contestants were slated to arrive in the commercial hub Yangon in October to compete in the pageant, hosted by Thailand-based Miss Grand International.&quot;We confirm that MGI 2024 will no longer be held in Myanmar, due to the current situation,&quot; Ratchaphol Chantaratim, a representative for the company, told AFP.An alternate venue &quot;will be announced later,&quot; he said in an email.Myanmar opened up to tourists in 2011 following decades of military rule, becoming popular with travelers seeking a new destination away from the well-trodden backpacker haunts of Southeast Asia.However, foreign arrivals have plummeted since the military seized power again in 2021 and sparked a widespread armed uprising.Around 2.7 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the United Nations, and the military has been accused of mass atrocities as it struggles to crush opposition to its rule.Most of the fighting is taking place outside Yangon, but opponents of the junta regularly bomb buildings linked to the security forces and carry out assassinations of its supporters in the city.A night-time curfew remains in place in the city of some eight million and security forces carry out regular raids and arrests of suspected dissidents.Power blackouts frequently plunge whole neighborhoods into darkness and access to ATMs and foreign exchange counters is patchy.Many Western embassies advise against travel to Myanmar.Australian football club Macarthur faced criticism in 2023 after travelling to play in Myanmar against official government advice.Honduran model Cecilia Garcia -- who had been selected to represent her country at the &quot;Miss Grand International&quot; -- said this month she would not be travelling to Myanmar due to security risks.At the 2021 edition of the event in Thailand, Myanmar contestant Thaw Nandar Aung publicly criticized the junta and its bloody crackdown on protests against its coup.The former psychology student, better known by her professional name Han Lay, was refused permission to enter Thailand and spent days stranded at an airport in Bangkok.She was later granted asylum in Canada.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Myanmar has been scrapped as the host of this year's Miss Grand International beauty pageant due to the civil war roiling the country, its organizers told AFP on Thursday.

Myanmar has been scrapped as the host of this year's Miss Grand International beauty pageant due to the civil war roiling the country, its organizers told AFP on Thursday.

Myanmar ditched as Miss Grand International host over war

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Lifestyle

Myanmar ditched as Miss Grand International host over war

Agence France-Presse

Published May 23, 2024 06:37 PM PHT

Read More:

Miss Grand International

Myanmar

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.