Myanmar Journal: Assault of a Quarter
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. For his safety, personal details have been obscured, but he has made it his desire that his observations be read by meditators everywhere.
There is some important information to give before reading what follows. His essay is not an easy one to read, so please consider finding a calm and quiet place before going further. While in other essays I have corrected his minor typing errors, I have not done so in the text exchange as this is an important part of understanding his frame of mind and experience. Additionally, as other drafts have left out names of people altogether, this one is not able to, so rather the names have been changed to pseudonyms. These include: “Richard” is the name of the person writing this account from Myanmar; “Michael” is the senior Vipassana teacher who texts with him from overseas; “Ma Aye” is his wife, and “Derek” is his vipassana friend who had visited him home several years ago.
This morning I had pinged Michael to say hello. He was not immediately available but when he pinged me a little later all hell broke loose here. I ended up texting Michael in real time as things unfolded. I was alone, afraid and very worried because my wife had just left to go to the market. The attached will give you some idea as to what we face each day. It is in 2 parts; morning and afternoon episodes. It was of great comfort to me to be able to text with Michael as it was happening because of my state of mind. It is not always clear and there are many typos in large part due to my frazzled mind. Note that this is the 2nd time in the last week that my wife, Ma Aye, was trapped.
Michael: Here now. Still there?
Richard: sorry....now; soldiers now INSIDE our quarter. gunshots fired and ma aye trpped hiding in strangers apt
i am so gd scared
Michael: very sorry
Richard: our security no awaake and out and they willl tryo t get ma aye.....shaking sooooo much
leader of sevcuirty tyin to get to aye aand others
Michael: I hear you
Richard: i have no spectacles but i don't see soldiers on our street anyomre
Michael: harrowing
Richard: security now here on radios trying to locatee aye
Michael: your security people or police?
Richard: our securtiy
just got text wshe is ok but still hining and very scared
she has walkie talking with her so they will get her
she is ok but still hiding
Michael: were police looking for her? specifically?
Richard: w/o walkiie talkie with me I don't know where soldiers r
just got text.....soldiers breaking stuff near where she is hiding
not safe for her to turn walkit talking on
soldiers keep coming near to where she is hiding dut don't find her
2 or 3 more gunshots
Michael: are they looking for her specifically?
Richard: another one
no....looking for anyone
they just want to make arrests. then they earn money by releasing them after money is paid
Michael: lawless
Richard: our security foun her but cannoot get out just yet. Hiding in tunnel about 100 yards way. I think Derek knows this canel/tuunnel
my street empty now except for our security
our security slow moving forward behind cars. soon i think they will b to where aye and others are hiding
security just cam and told me aye is ok but now they all hiding
Michael: your security guys are brave to be helping out like this. You be brave too.
Richard: lost sight of security biu i think they reach canal. then about 50 yards to tunnel. why do people do this to ech other
Michael: dukkha samsara
ignorance rules
along with greed and hatred
glib to say I know, but don't become prey to the same by hating
Richard: yes....talk to Derek re this yesterday. Now i can see our people just past canal and can tell by their posture soldiers still there
no mor gunshots
no gasm no stun grenades
Michael: why is your quarter a hot spot? Random ? Are there many quarters going through this nightly terror?
media here very slow to highlight Myanmar's plight. I fear it'll take many more deaths to get people to wake up.
Richard: not being singked out. Now all clear given so I wait for aye
his kind of thing goes on every night and last night they went to all quaters around us shootin apt windows, breaking into shops and stealing food and money
no sign aye yet
here she comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Michael: is there a safer place for you two to go to? What about Ma Aye’s family?
good
What about US Embassy?
I'm sure you've considered all this. I don't know what else to suggest except to remind you that many here are keeping you in mind, fully
be safe, be calm, be peaceful : tall orders I know but...
Richard: about 1 hour after the above we are told that soldiers will be back soon with a lot more soldiers
now, appx 2 hrs after previous incident pots and pans start ringing out.
Now gunfire and stun grenades. a lot of gunfire. This situatiion different because now everyone prepared and all but security are safe inside. More gunfire
this is occuring less than 50 yds from our apt. Now coming again and everyone running. Another stun grenade. They are try to come over the footbridge next to our apt.
they cannot get through. Security has put up a lot of barbwire on bridge
now they are backing off.
seems as though they were not equipped to deal with razor wire.
now they come back to ground level and looks they they will try to come across the field.
they can come across field but our quarter is bounded by a 9 or 10' high concrete wall.
now shots ringing out in opposite direction where the shooting was earlier. Now the soldiers under foot bridge appear to be thinking about how to get over wall. More gunshots from other side of quarter
it appears now that many people are trapped at the middle of our road. Obviously this was planned by soldiers. now soldiers appear to give up crossing beneath the field. The wall is quite high and a few weeks ago our security topped it with razor wire.
still something goin on near our apt because people trapped in middle of road to afraid to move. Ma Aye is monitoring walkie talkie so i am in the blind
People caught in middle of road are now gone. The rule here is that the steel entrance gates to each apt bldg are to be left unlocked so people can run and hide in apts. I suspect that is where they have gone to.
no shots now for about 5 minutes
security leader has not yet given all clear signal so don't know what is happening
now 4:32 in the afternoon here
more gunfire but a bit further away.
we and other quarters share the expense of a drone and just got photos. a lot of police and soldiers on the ground and more coming in trucks and cars.
all clear is given
The following was written some hours later, reflecting on the incident…
Another shock added this is that what was transpiring at the end of our street that I was completely oblivious to. Our Quarter security does its best to video everything so after the events I was able late this afternoon to see all that went on. The way the streets and buildings are arranged here is in such a way that when the wind blows in a certain direction it carries with it the sound. Today was such a day. In the video it looked like a war was going on. Tear gas, stun grenades and rifle shots and many soldiers and police. I was completely unaware of this part.
Worse than the grenades, gas and shooting were the horrendous beatings that the soldiers meted out many times. In one case an old man was walking down the street and got caught up in the melee and was attacked by 3 soldiers who bet the heck out of him with clubs. When they walked away from the man one of the soldiers broke off and went back to the guy and beat him some more. In another incident 5 or 6 soldiers beat another guy who was already on the ground. They clubbed and beat him relentlessly until final a police captain tried to stop them. Unfortunately they were not deterred and the captain was just pushed away.
In all, 11 people from our Quarter and adjacent Quarter were arrested. Last night five citizen security personnel were arrested and one was killed that night while being detained.
While Ma Aye was hiding today the soldiers knew that she and others were up there but they were unable to open the steel gate. Instead they cursed them from the ground and then started throwing rocks through the windows.
This morning was probably the worst morning we had. This degree of violence in this are does not often happen in the morning, at least around here. Today was an important day for shopping because the CRPH has called for a 10 day ‘holiday’ beginning tomorrow. King Min Aung Hlaing has announced that starting tomorrow all government staff are required to return to work. To counter this CRPH (Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) has called for the holiday as anyone going to work can more easily be identified as a likely non-supporter of the CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement). There have been many instances of non-supporters informing on neighbors. By attacking today they are trying to keep people from being able to shop. They really don’t understand the resolve of the people here. If they cannot have a curry with their rice they will just have rice. And if they cannot get rice they will drink only water for the next 10 days. It is difficult for me to imagine that the people here will ever back down.
Many military supporters have already packed up and moved to Nay Pyi Daw. In the past 3 days I have seen 10 families pack up and leave before daybreak. There are many cases where shop owners refuse to sell to those against the CDM and many shops in our area and elsewhere have posted signs to this effect. I have mixed feelings about this and while I may not agree, I do understand.
There have been numerous caravans of army trucks headed toward Karen state. I am told but have not yet confirm that the KNU (Karen National Union) has engaged with the military during their attempts to protect the citizens. If this is true it will be of some relief to us as it will pull resources from this area and provide a bit of a break. We are all so tired.
Also hearing that as women are arrested many are being raped and in the past have avoided talking about it because of the great shame it brings to them and their families. I don’t doubt it because we have seen the that many of these people are capable of. One policeman posted on social media that he only wants to arrest women so that he can rape them. An absolute disgusting post.