Ludu Daw Amar dies at 92

Nay Thwin
Mizzima
April 7, 2008

Chiang Mai: Famous 92 year old dissident writer and journalist Ludu Daw Amar died at 8:37 this morning from heart failure at Mandalay General Hospital.

A much admired woman journalist she was well respected and fondly known as Amay Mar by her fans and the journalist community. She was hospitalised last Sunday.

"She was hospitalized on Sunday. She died this morning at 8:37 a.m." her son, writer Nyi Pu Lay told Mizzima over telephone.

Her body is now at her eldest daughter, Mya Myint Zu's home in Mandalay, central Burma. Her funeral service will be held tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at the Kyar Ni Gan graveyard.

On hearing of her death, veteran writer Dagon Tayar said in deep grief "She served her country for ages. She served for peace. She dealt not only in women's issues but also served the country. I am very sad".

Ludu Daw Amar or Ludu Daw Ah Mar was a contemporary of national hero General Aung San, the father of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest and great writer Dagon Tayar.

Daw used to prefix the name of an adult Burmese woman and used U (pronounced Oo) to prefix the name as an adult Burmese man.

She was married to U Hla. She became an assistant editor in 1945 in the Ludu newspaper and became a member of the editorial board in 1946.

In late 1950 she got involved in the peace for Burma activity and global peace activity led by Thakin Ko Daw Hmaing. After her spouse Ludu U Hla was arrested in 1953 she took over the responsibility of writing the newspaper's editorials.

From 1950 to 1960 the Ludu newspaper was shut down and in 1978 she was arrested along with Ludu U Hla and her daughter Nyein Chan and detained for more than a year.

Daw Amar was a very close friend of Win Tin, a journalist of the Hantharwaddy newspaper who is still in jail.

She told Mizzima on the occasion of Win Tin's birthday in March that she would see her adopted son U Win Tin before she died.

Her birthday celebrations were usually held at Taung Lay Lone Monastery, Mandalay on November 25 and attended by famous writers and journalists from around the country.

Her birthday celebrations were sometimes banned by the authorities because it was attended by not only famous writers and journalists but also joined by democracy activists.