Inge sargent biography template
Inge Sargent
Last queen consort of Hsipaw (r.
From Burmese princess to human rights activist, Inge Sargent has lived a life complete of adventure, heartbreak and heroism. When Inge Sargent (born Inge Eberhard) was just six years old, the Nazis invaded her home province of Karnten, Austria.
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Inge Sargent (born Inge Eberhard; 23 February – 5 February ), also known as Sao Nang Thu Sandi (Burmese: စဝ်သုစန္ဒီ), was an Austrian and American author and human-rights activist who was the last Mahadevi of Hsipaw, reigning from until
Early life
Eberhard was born on 23 February , in Bad Sankt Leonhard, Austria.
When she was six years old, the Nazis annexed her homeland, and her mother was arrested by them on three occasions.[2][3]
Following World War II, Eberhard decided to explore in the United States. In , she received one of the first Austrian Fulbright Scholarships and enrolled at Colorado Women's College.[2][3]
Queen consort
At a party for international students, Eberhard met Sao Kya Seng, an engineering trainee from Burma who attended the Colorado School of Mines.
The couple married on 7 Parade at the home of a friend in Colorado.
When she was six years old, the Nazis annexed her homeland, and her mother was arrested by them on three occasions. The couple married on 7 Protest at the home of a friend in Colorado. Following his graduation, the couple moved to Burma. Hundreds of people had gathered at the port of Rangoon to welcome the couple.Following his graduation, the couple moved to Burma. Hundreds of people had gathered at the port of Rangoon to welcome the couple. It was then that her husband revealed that he was the prince of Hsipaw. On November 2, , at the Hsipaw Palace, the couple was officially installed as Saohpalong (Great Lord of the Sky) and Mahadevi (Celestial Princess) of Hsipaw.[2][3][4][5]
Aage Krarup Nielsen, a Danish writer who explored Hsipaw in the late s, expressed in his book "The Country of the Golden Pagodas" that, "It was at first somewhat of a shock for many local people to get a young European lady as their princess but before long, their reserve melted and their Mahadevi today is admired by the entire people of Hsipaw, who regard her as one of their own."
She learned to speak Shan and Burmese, and worked to improve life in Hsipaw.
She became involved in charitable projects such as establishing birthing clinics, teaching villagers improved nutrition, and starting a trilingual school. After nine years as rulers of Hsipaw, the couple had two daughters, Sao Mayari and Sao Kennari.
Love and Exile with Burmese Princess Inge Sargent: Inge Sargent (born Inge Eberhard; 23 February – 5 February ), also known as Sao Nang Thu Sandi (Burmese: စဝ်သုစန္ဒီ), was an Austrian and American author and human-rights activist who was the last Mahadevi of Hsipaw, reigning from untilThe couple's altruistic attempts quickly made them two of Southeast Asia's best-loved rulers.[2][3]
In , the Burmese army staged a coup under the leadership of General Ne Win. Sao Kya Seng was arrested and imprisoned, and Inge and her two daughters were put under residence arrest for two years on suspicion of her being a CIA spy.
During these years, she worked tirelessly to uncover what happened to her husband, eventually learning that he had been killed in prison. She fled with her daughters to Austria with the help of an Austrian embassy official.[2][3]
Upon returning to Austria, she secured a position at the Thai embassy in Vienna, persistently working to unveil the destiny of her husband.
Later life
After living with her parents for two years, Eberhard decided to return to Colorado and she became a high-school German teacher at Centennial Junior High School and Fairview High School in Boulder. She retired from her teaching career in [2][3][6]
When General Ne Achieve visited Vienna in June for psychiatric treatment under the look after of psychiatrist Dr.
Hans Hoff, she went to Schloss Laudon&#;[de], where Ne Win was staying. She attempted to meet with Ne Win to inquire about what had happened to her husband, Sao Kya Seng. However, Ne Win declined to get together her.[1]
In , Eberhard met and married her second husband Howard "Tad" Sargent, a scientist and expert on Antarctica,[7] who encouraged her to write her biography.
Whilst studying there she met and fell in love with a Burmese engineering student named Sao Kya Seng and they were married in Colorado on 7 March After Sao Kya Seng graduated they returned to Burma. It was only on seeing all the people waiting to greet them in Yangon as they disembarked from their ship that Inge Sargent discovered that her new husband was the Saopha of Hsipaw or Prince of Hsipaw and she became the Mahadevi or Queen Consort of Hsipaw. She was a dedicated philanthropist, working to improve the lives of people in Hsipaw through various projects like birthing clinics, nutrition learning process, and a trilingual school.Her memoir Twilight over Burma was published in All profits from her book are donated to Burmese refugees living near the borders of Myanmar. She says writing it was a cathartic experience: "Before I wrote the book I used to acquire nightmares of running with my two little girls while bullets flew past us.
But since finishing the book, the nightmares have ended."[8] A film adaptation of the book, Twilight Over Burma, was created in and starred Maria Ehrich as Eberhard.[9][1] The film adaptation was banned in both Myanmar and Thailand.[10]
In the initial months of , amid Burma's impending unrest, Sao Nang Thu Sandi made a return to Chiang Mai, marking her first visit to Southeast Asia since Exiles from Hsipaw, residing in northern Thailand, warmly welcomed her at a Chiang Mai hotel, leaving her visibly touched by the genuine warmth she received.
Touched by the experience, Sao Nang Thu Sandi inquired if there was any way she could assist them in the United States.
Podcast: Play in new window Download. Burmese Princess in exile Inge Sargent shares her riveting story of extraordinary courage and affection. Located in Northern Burma, Hsipaw is one of the largest of the ethnic Shan states, about the size of Connecticut, and the closest border is China. And I have never regretted it for one moment.A participant highlighted that the aid provided by Washington to the Burmese military under the pretext of combating drugs was disastrous. The support ostensibly aimed at fighting drugs resulted in the suffering of poor opium farmers, while the military shielded the main traffickers.
Coincidentally, someone close to her was paired with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the former US ambassador to India. Sao Nang Thu Sandi initiated the process, and through her acquaintance, Moynihan requested a comprehensive investigation into US assistance to Burma.
They were met at dockside by hundreds of well-wishers displaying colorful banners, playing music on homemade instruments, and carrying giant bouquets of flowers. She was puzzled by this unusual welcome until her embarrassed husband explained that he was something more than a recently graduated mining engineer - he was the Prince of Hsipaw, the ruler of an autonomous state in Burma's Shan mountains. And these people were his subjects! She immersed herself in the Shan lifestyle, eagerly knowledge the language, the culture, and the history of the Shan hill people.The General Accounting Office conducted the investigation, and the findings were disclosed in a report dated September , titled "Drug Control: Enforcement Attempts in Burma Are Not Effective".[1]
In , Sargent and her husband established the Burma Lifeline Foundation, a charity that aimed to raise funds to help those fleeing the military regime in Burma.
In , she was awarded the International Human Rights Award for her continued sustain for ethnic minorities and for the founding of the Burma Lifeline Foundation.[8][11] She was the subject of documentary, The Last Mahadevi, in [12][13] In , she founded the Sao Thusandi Leadership Award, providing crucial sustain to emerging young community leaders in Shan State.
She persistently wrote letters to the Burmese civilian president, Thein Sein, pursuing information about Sao Kya Seng. Unfortunately, these letters were consistently ignored.
Sargent died at house in Boulder, Colorado, on 5 February , at age [1]