Experiences in pre-saffron revolution period (Part 2)

Commentary

by Ko Maw

Saturday, 07 March 2009 15:26

(Commentary) The 'Seintaungdan' teashop was crowded with customers while we were conversing with Ko Hlaing Bwa. Seven monks including me were having breakfast then. Five of them came from Yenanchaung with me and Ko Hlaing Bwa was our host. I didn't know the other one.    He was an old monk aged about 60 to 70, who sat at a table near us and seemingly observed us surreptitiously. At the same time, I noticed that our Ko Hlaing Bwa was observing him too. I thought we were shadowed by military intelligence (MI) personnel and we were in danger.    Really we were in danger because we were under close watch all the time by the local authorities before coming to Rangoon including U Tithiriya in Yenanchaung. I found him being shadowed constantly by local 'Union Solidarity and Development Association' (USDA) when I first met at a teashop near Yenanchaung Central market. So I was worried about our situation according to our current activity and our background movement.    Soon after that, our Ko Hlaing Bwa walked to that table and greeted this old monk with great respect. In turn, the old monk seemingly observed Ko Hlaing Bwa carefully. Within a few minutes, Ko Hlaing Bwa realized that the old monk was the one he was waiting for and then had a friendly conversation with him. Later Ko Hlaing Bwa told me that the old monk was the contact of U Eithiriya coming from Yenanchaung alone.    At about 7 a.m. U Eithririay called me over Ko Hlaing Bwa's hand phone asking us about our journey to Rangoon and if we had any difficulty or not. He told us that he would soon join us. U Eithririya was working with Yenanchaung based HIV/AIDS patients care charity unit at that time so that the local authority was watching him closely all the time and shadowed him wherever he went. Thus he had to move to Rangoon Division, Thingangyun Township Maggin monastery in 2006. Under these security concerns, he had to come to Rangoon by changing buses along the way at different cities and towns to shake off his shadow. He dared not came directly to Rangoon.    Then Ko Hlaing Bwa moved to an old man who was sitting at a table in the same teashop just  at  a distance from us at about 8:30 a.m. Then I got a hint that Ko Hlaing Bwa came here with this old man. I followed this old man when Ko Hlaing Bwa asked me to buy bus tickets. By glancing at his ID, I knew that his name was U Tin Kywe. (Foreign media wrongly referred this old man as U Gambira's father when he was arrested in their broadcasts)   But on that day, we could not buy bus tickets and had to stay at a house in Kemmendine owned by a friend of Ko Hlaing Bwa. Until that time, I haven't yet known the real monk's name as Ko Hlaing Baw. At that time, seven other monks coming from Mandalay and the in-charge abbot of 'Sangha Duta' were with us at the same house.    Soon after reaching that home, Ko Hlaing Bwa received a phone call and went outside with a monk coming from Mandalay. The first floor flat of Ko Hlaing Bwa's friend is too small for us packed with over 10 monks and other laymen. But Ko Hlaing Bwa asked us not to go outside in a group and not to sit on the varendah  (balcony) for security reasons. So we felt uncomfortable staying in this packed room.    At about 2 p.m. on that day, Ko Hlaing Bwa came back with a man. He was the political activist currently engaging in political activities in Rangoon. Ko Hlaing Bwa introduced him to us by just referring him as a painter. So we called him painter simply. This painter offered us by saying that some of us could stay at his home. But under the security circumstances, Ko Hlaing Bwa insisted on staying together here overnight and turned down his offer. In the evening, he showed us videos on triumphant non-violence movements in Serbia, Chile and South Africa etc.    We had a long discussion and conversation with Ko Hlaing Bwa till late night on that day. I realized Ko Hlaing Bwa was the learned and well-experienced person, straight and honest monk, calm and having self-confidence totally alien to his appearance at my first sight in dirty and torn robe and his carefree lifestyle. I found out that he was a learned person in Pali study also during our conversation. Moreover I saw him as the determined and committed political activist engaging in fulltime movement.    On 6th   morning, a youth called Nyi Nyi Zaw came to us upon Ko Hlaing Bwa's request and had  a discussion meeting us on human right issues. Though he belonged to the  Muslim faith, he showed great respect to us and had no discrimination in terms of  religion. He told us that he wished to conduct widespread human rights education campaign among the people, educating them to enjoy full human rights that we deserve systematically and not to infringe on human rights of others. He also said that he wished to focus his mission on total elimination of military dictatorship in our country which was in urgent need, but did not wish to see extremism and discrimination in religions.    Then Ko Hliang Bwa wound up our hours-long discussion and asked us to get ready for our next journey. He disclosed the detailed travel plan to us too. The person who would lead us to our destination was a man called Ko Lynn and asked us to take care along the journey by watching closely the body language and gestures of Ko Lynn and observing the surroundings carefully. Then we left the flat in groups of three monks each.    Finally we reached at a house in suburban of a town not far away from Rangoon. U Eithiriya, monks coming from Mandalay and Sangha Duta abbot had already reached there before us. So we felt encouraged by seeing them together with us.     Starting from about 9 a.m. on the 8th, we had a lengthy discussion on community organization work and methods to penetrate into the community in detail. This discussion meeting was joined by about 14 monks and 4 other laymen. The meeting lasted four days and U Eithiriya proposed us to hold a debate marking the successful completion of this meeting. Moreover he handed me a letter sent by Ko Hlaing Bwa and asked us to study the content of the letter realistically and seriously and then implement it tonight if possible.    The main contents of this letter were saying sorry to us for not able to accompany with us due to his poor health, to discuss and study in the discussion meeting seriously and systematically. Finally he urged us to form 'Young Monks Union' (Myelat - Middle Burma) systematically before leaving this place. He absolutely believed this monk union could serve well for the people, country and the Buddhist religion in implementing our political activities systematically. He also let us knew that his devotees were ready to contribute some fund for our movements too, his letter said.    He assured us in his letter that he would contribute whatever need in our movement besides this movement fund and finally at the end of the letter, it was signed by U Gambira (Young Monk Union – Rangoon). Only after reading this letter, I realized that his real name was U Gambira.    Then after discussion, we chose a topic for our debate as 'Sanghas can do more in community organizational work than the laymen'. We divided into 2 groups with 3 monks each and other monks and laymen would act as the judge panel for the debate. I, U Wimala and another monk were in 'For' side in this debate and U Eithiriay and monks coming from Mandalay were in 'Against' side. We had a heated debate on that topic on that day. This was my first ever experience in total 5 years (3 years in novice and 2 years in monkhood) of priesthood.    < Prev   Next >