Myanmar Journal: "My faith in humanity has never been lower"
The following thread is being written by a vipassana meditator from the tradition of S.N. Goenka who is currently in Myanmar, who has played a pivotal role in the organization’s mission. He is describing the terror that occurred on March 27th, Armed Forces Day, when over 100 people lost their lives. For his safety, personal details have been obscured, but he has made it his desire that his observations be read by meditators everywhere. Please note that we are now able to ensure donations reach this person as well as the community he is supporting. Please consider making a contribution.
7 a.m. and police already on main road. Many older people milling about on road presumable to serve as cover and early warning for students who are scheduled to go out at 8 a.m. The air is very thick.
8 am.; students begin their protest and are singing and chanting slogans.
8:20: warning is sounded that soldiers and police are coming in and the students run for cover. By the time forces arrive everyone is gone. Scores of soldiers and police come into our quarter and 5 people are arrested. For the next 1 ½ hours military scours our quarter and finally leave. Things quiet down but in other nearby quarters still we hear stun grenades and automatic weapons.
12:30: We are getting numerous reports of many areas in the country under heavy fire with as many as 6 children who have been shot and killed. Very difficult for us to confirm these days as mobile data is closed which mean 90% of the people have not internet.
1 pm. All is quiet in our quarter. I just grabbed a cup of coffee and head for the balcony. I take one half step out and its 'pop, pop, pop'. So close I was able to feel it. I would like to say that I had the presence of mind to drop to the ground for cover but it happens so quickly. Less than a split second. The only thing I could do was to say "what the hell??" as I stood there frozen in place.
It was only when my wife came out that I had sense enough to move and we took cover behind our low balcony wall. After a minute or so everyone else is out on their balconies wondering where the shots had come from. I believe it must have been from a sniper at the top of our road.
One thing you learn quickly is the ability to discern the different sounds of the different guns, and the snipers rifle have a more high pitched ring to them than the more common rifle fire. I was not being singled out; they were just firing into our quarter to keep people contained while they were dealing with protestors out on the main road. The strangest thing of all was that other then my immediate verbal reaction I didn't feel much of anything else. There is no time for fear because it all happens so quickly.
1:30 pm: We get a call from neighboring Quarter needing help. Students are trapped and need a safe house. We are unable to help because we cannot go outside.
The videos we are receiving are so horrific that no one can continue to watch.
2 p.m.: students once again being chased through our quarter and our neighbor below us has taken 2 of them in. Seconds later soldiers are here hunting them down They question a street vendor caught up in this and she sends them in the opposite direction from where they are hiding. They go off and look and after finding nothing they return and once again they question the vendor and again she repeats her earlier story. After 10 minutes or so the soldiers give up and for the next 45 minutes everyone in our quarter are tying to get them to a safer place and after some very harrowing moments they are finally able to get out.
2:15; Phone call; fires are now starting up.
3 p.m.; Phone call saying that American Center (adjacent to embassy) has been fired upon, no details.
4 p.m.; confirmed that 4 shots fired at American Center. No injuries. Unmarked car was used. No injuries.
Receiving calls that many shot and killed in Mandalay up to 2:30 pm. Unbelievable amount of gunfire I have heard just here.
Reports that soldiers are now using hand grenades. Confirmed.
Likely this will be the worst day.
My faith in humanity has never been lower.