Aye Khaing Win was born in Let Yet San, a village surrounded by orchards and rice paddies 20 kilometers south of Myanmar’s capital city of Yangon. He grew up, met his wife, and started a family there. In 1996, the government confiscated many Thilawa residents’ land. Because they did not develop it, however, families continued to legally farm and live on the land.

In January of 2013, residents were informed of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. Since then, the Thilawa community has mobilized to fight for proper compensation and acceptable solutions to the problems caused by the SEZ.

Aye Khaing Win has been at the forefront of these efforts.