[2][3] A prominent student leader in the 8888 movement, Moe Hein has been accused of betraying his activist roots by later supporting the military junta.
He served as the secretary of the Democratic Party for a New Society, and was subsequently imprisoned by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military junta.
However, he was released from prison soon after, and began writing several articles critical of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the winner of the 1990 Myanmar general election, in junta-controlled newspapers.
He angered the Union Solidarity and Development Party government, and the businessman Tay Za by writing an article critical of military cronies, calling for them to "Jump into the Andaman Sea".
His statements in support of the military council were broadcast almost every day on the junta-owned networks Myawaddy TV and Myanmar Radio and Television.