The media representatives who gathered at the Aurora press center in Yerevan were greeted by Jere Sullivan, Vice Chairman International Public Affairs, Edelman. He introduced Vartan Gregorian and Kyaw Hla Aung and encouraged the audience to ask questions. The journalists were interested in the political situation in Myanmar that had created the need for Kyaw’s activism in the first place. Some expressed their concern about humanitarian aid actually reaching the people in need. The controversy surrounding Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who many feel has failed to address the crisis despite her reputation as a human rights defender, was also brought up.
Mr. Gregorian, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Co-Founder, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Aurora Prize Selection Committee member, has expressed his admiration for the Laureate’s work, especially when it comes to the preservation of his people’s legacy. “I learned from Kyaw Hla Aung that all the libraries for his ethnic group have been uprooted. [This is some] kind of an assassination of memory. If the memory dies, we don’t remember anything. We won’t have to lose anything or complain about anything,” he said. Mr. Gregorian has also highlighted the importance of giving a helping hand to those in need and supporting each other: “We’re interested in forming alliances among the oppressed, among the threatened.”
Answering the question about his efforts to provide Rohingya with access to education, Kyaw Hla Aung, who had earlier named Médecins Sans Frontières (London), Malaysian Medical Relief - MERCY Malaysia (Malaysia) and International Catholic Migration Commission (Switzerland, USA) as recipients of the $1 million award, said the following: “In 2010, after my release from prison, a doctor I knew told me that as an educated person I should help the children get education. So we opened these schools and appointed nearly 110 teachers. But then I was arrested again, and it all stopped. When I got released again, I organized something for the elderly people as well, because the illiteracy rates are very high in our community.”
Mr. Kyaw Hla Aung has also thanked the Aurora Prize for the honor and mentioned how important it was to him to know that his efforts in helping his community had received recognition so far away from home. “I don’t know how Aurora got to know all my history and also selected me for this prize. I’m surprised by that,” he confessed. Mr. Aung has warned the audience of the dangers of discrimination, mentioning that is was on the rise in his native Rakhine state in Myanmar.
The third annual $1.1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, granted by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, was awarded to Kyaw Hla Aung on June 10, 2018. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has honored the esteemed lawyer for his personal sacrifice fighting injustice and advocating for the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Kyaw Hla Aung was selected as the 2018 Aurora Prize Laureate among 750 nominations submitted from 115 countries.