Military plagiarizes revolutionary intellectual property "Ayi Kyi Pone" song, claims it as their own, singer Moon Aung responds

The revolutionary song "Ayi Kyi Pone" (Blood Oath), written and sung by the late artist Htoo Eain Thin, which emerged in the revolutionary territories during the 1988 uprising and continues to be sung to this day, has been blatantly plagiarized by the military junta. They have slightly altered the lyrics and are promoting it as their own song. The military junta has falsely claimed that the song "Ayi Kyi Pone" was written by someone named "Zaw Gyi" under the title "Soldier's Red Blood, March Forward," with some lyrical changes. Although they presented an old book with drawings on social media as evidence, claiming they wrote the song around the 1960s, they have not been able to provide any concrete historical evidence. "I have never heard of a songwriter and singer named Zaw Gyi. It must be a fake name created by the military to legitimize their theft. There are solid historical records that Htoo Eain Thin himself wrote it. Many former comrades and students who were with him in the jungle when the song was composed are still alive," a 60-year-old teacher who experienced the 8888 uprising told the Ayeyarwaddy Times. According to the song's historical background, "Ayi Kyi Pone" was created by Htoo Eain Thin and Moon Aung while they were living together in the liberated areas (border regions) after fleeing during the major 8888 uprising in 1988. Htoo Eain Thin personally wrote the song in the liberated area, Moon Aung sang it, and it was released in 1992 on Side B of the album "Peaceful Battle," making it a historic revolutionary song. Original singer Moon Aung, who participated in singing the song and is still alive, has strongly responded to the military junta's blatant intellectual property theft through his social media. "Ko Htoo Eain Thin, how formidable is your art? Even the military has to use the power of this song to profit. No matter how much they try to deceive history with fake records and books, as long as the true spirit of the artist and living historical witnesses like myself exist, the fake can never surpass the real," said singer Moon Aung. Since the military coup in 2021, the song "Ayi Kyi Pone" (Blood Oath) has been enthusiastically used and chanted by the people nationwide as an inspiring song during the Spring Revolution's public movements and protests. Critics and revolutionary forces have stated that the military regime, which not only steals the country's resources in various ways but also seized power by accusing the democratically elected leaders of election fraud, is now shamelessly and openly stealing the historic intellectual property of the people's revolution. Photo – Social Media