Zarganar

Comedian, Film director

1961 –

4

Who is Zarganar?

Maung Thura "Zarganar" is a popular Burmese comedian, film actor, and a film director as well as a fierce critic and often political prisoner of the Burmese military government. Known for his wicked puns against the government who is a military junta, Zarganar, whose name translates to "tweezers", is widely considered to be the most popular comedian and satirist in Myanmar.

In September 2006, Zarganar was banned indefinitely from performing publicly or participating in any kind of entertainment related work. He was arrested on 4 June 2008 for speaking to foreign media about the situation of millions of people left homeless after a cyclone devastated the Irrawaddy delta. In November 2008, he was sentenced to 59 years in prison, convicted of "public order offenses", under four sections of the criminal code—17/2, 32 (b), 295 (a) and 505 (b), much more than the anticipated maximum of two years. On 16 February 2009, following the appeals by the family, Yangon Divisional Court reduced the prison sentence by "up to 24 years", bringing the sentence down to 35 years. In December 2008, Zarganar has been sent to Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State in the country's far north, from which he was freed on 11 October 2011 in a mass amnesty of political prisoners.

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Born
Jan 27, 1961
Yangon
Also known as
  • Zargana
  • Maung Thura "Zarganar"
  • Thura
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Nationality
  • Myanmar
Profession
Education
  • University of Dental Medicine, Yangon
  • Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Zarganar." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/zarganar>.

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