"We are not taking revenge for our revolution."
The following was written by Chan Min, who is now a member of the PSDF, but had previously been a soldier with the Tatmadaw before he defected. The story is made possible from the team behind Breaking Brainwashed.
“As Myanmar’s revolutionary journey shifts from day to month, year to year, our ideas about our revolution become more mature as well. I would like to tell you about my experience in the past few days about my own knowledge of revolution. We recently went on a trip and spent the night in a KNU battalion.
We arrived there in the evening. So it was fun to watch them playing sports and swimming in the Thaung Yin River. The KNU soldiers can speak Burmese well and they are friendly. We were accommodated and sent to the riverbank to take a bath in the river.
After taking a bath and having dinner, we took a break. During this time, a comrade called us as the battalion commander had asked to see us.
The battalion commander was so friendly without any pretense. He asked about our names and the troops we had served before the CDM, and said, ‘I just want to talk with you, so please be comfortable.’ And then we talked about the views on the revolution and on the situation of the Burma Army.
I learned more about the ethnic nationalities’s feelings and sufferings while talking with the commander. We felt sad when he told us about the atrocities against Karen villages during Khin Nyunt and Than Shwe’s government. Khin Nyunt’s mobs set fire to Karen villages and raped ethnic women, we were told
We have heard about the mobs since training in the army. They are famous and known as really brutal forces all over Karen State. All soldiers in that troop can speak Karen. They came to the villages with civilian clothes, made friends with the villagers and asked for food from the villagers.
And then they talked about the evil nature of the government and military, to further gain their trust. So the honest villagers thought that they were Karen soldiers! And when these villagers replied in agreement about the bad deeds of the government and military, the troops beheaded the villagers and burned down the whole village! These troops are so cruel and cold blooded I don’t have words to say more.
Back in the Tatmadaw, our instructors were proud to tell us about such atrocities during our training period in the army, and we were actually envious of the warriors. But now, while Pha Htee was talking, I was ashamed of myself for being envious of the previous strategy. And the battalion commander said, ‘In the past you used to think of our ethnic armed groups as rapists who destroyed villages, right? But go and ask any village in Karen State then you will find out who is actually doing the burning and raping.’
When we were about to return, the battalion commander said, ‘We are not taking revenge for our revolution. We are not as cruel as they were to us. Many of my comrades suffered their whole villages being burned down and their family members brutally killed. I always tell them not to mix revenge and revolution. We are fighting to change the country, not for the revenge. If Myanmar had a good leader, it would be much better. We also love this Myanmar country as much as you love it, friend.’
I really like what Pha Htee said and I respect him a lot. I feel very sorry for the atrocities of the Bamar dictators and empathize the ethnic people. The more pure they are, the more ashamed I become of myself for ignoring the brutal oppression of the ethnic groups.
I would like to talk with Pha Htee again when the situation calms down.
Thank you so much for listening to me.