Phaww Shaww

The following story is made possible from the team behind Breaking Brainwashed. Htet Myat, a former soldier who defected after the coup, discusses the meaning of an unusual term.

“That’s why people who have the right minds and accept the truth can’t have any place in our military.”

All the people in the Department Head were super busy including from the Vice Commander on down to the lower workers.

We were ordered to move things from one place to another, and then after a while, they said ‘Who told to move these? Move them back to their place!’

You know what, we are really tired. We don’t even know why we’re tired. We are just like the ants. Go here and there. Come back and go back. It’s sounds crazy right!?

There’s one Lieutenant Colonel in the department head.

He doesn’t like if someone stays calm while he is deadly busy. If that person is younger than him, he will say: ‘ You are terrible guy. Selfish people. You don’t even know how to help the elders. Bullshit people!’

Because of our lower status, he thinks poorly of us. So we always act like we were busy in front of him.

The worst is that if he heard something happen in some places, he shouted like, ‘What are you doing? Where was that come from? What happened? You don’t even know to ask! Call them. Ask them. Than tell me what happened!’

He always blames us if he is the one who did something wrong. He swears at us all the time.

One day, I heard such a big sound coming from outside. As we are used to, he yelled out, ‘Where? What happened? You guys can stay damn calm! Call. Call them now. Then tell me what happened.’

And then he will come out of his room and swear at whoever he sees.

Unfortunately, I was like walking towards him at this moment. As soon as I saw him walking towards me, I suddenly took out my phone and called a random number.

Before I could see who I had called, I took the phone and began speaking. He just walked away from me. But then the real call comes and I heard my wife’s voice!
’Go eat some food, I’ll call you back,’ she said.

I ended the call. She just had no idea what even happened! I held my laugh…

It’s just ‘Phaww Shaww.’ Unlike my other peers, I have a good brain and know what to do in order to avoid trouble.

Most of the military appreciates this practice of Phaww Shawws (for show) and lies. Because you will be beaten if you tell the truth. There’s many examples of that. I’ll tell you one.

There was this man from the military who came to a pig farm. The man said, to his guide, ‘Ha…. You have many pigs.’ The guide responded, ‘Yes uncle, we have many pigs.’

‘Arr…good. Is that a Yorkshire?’ and then the answer came: ’Yes, uncle. It is a Yorkshire.’

After reaching near that pig, the man said ‘It’s not Yorkshire! It’s a female pig. Ha….there are some piglets too.’
The guide again responds in kind. “Yes uncle, it’s not a Yorkshire. It’s a female pig. There are some piglets too.’

The man told him, ‘Ha….You are a Phaww Shaww guy.’ And then he responded again, ‘Yes , uncle, I am a Phaww Shaww guy!’ The man just laughed and tried not to be angry to him.

Nowadays, the leaders in military like Phaww Shaww. They accept the lies. That’s why people who have the right minds and accept the truth can’t have any place in our military. There are much many people who have totally lost their work because of they don’t like Phaww Shaww. They have to zip their mouths, saying they are wrong even though they are right!

So that’s why i would like to tell the good officers who are accepting the truth this simple message:

‘Get out as soon as possible from those who were learned to be Phaww Shaww since young and raised by Phaww Shaww!"‘