You will not be surprised to hear that the military-backed government of Myanmar is not Michelle Yeoh's biggest fan. The actress has reportedly been barred from entering the country: Myanmar deports Michelle Yeoh after Suu Kyi movie.Yeoh, who stars as Nobel Prize-winning pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the upcoming movie The Lady, arrived in the capital city of Yangon last week, only to be deported on the same day. Turns out, she's made it on to the government's blacklist:
The Malaysian actress arrived in the country's main city, Yangon, on June 22 and was deported the same day because she was on a blacklist, a government official said.Does it really come as a surprise to anyone that Myanmar's government would not be cool with Michelle Yeoh or anyone else associated with this movie? The Lady, directed by Luc Besson, is scheduled to be released later this year. I don't know if it's going to be any good, but at the very least, I hope it increases broader awareness of Suu Kyi's extraordinary story.
The official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press, did not say why Yeoh was on the list. But Myanmar's repressive government has routinely rejected visa requests of journalists and perceived critics for years.
Suu Kyi spokesman Nyan Win confirmed Yeoh was deported but had no other details.