Fighting for Democracy in Chin State
Jo used to be an education expert in Hakha. He has now joined the armed resistance in Chin State. This story was collected on August 4th, 2022.
“Belief in the revolution is what makes a winning game. We need to fight with all we have for our future and democracy.”
"I am currently in Chin State. I am in good physical health, but honestly, mentally, we are all very depressed. The burden of the revolution is very intense—we have been living in the jungle for some long months now. The internet connection is very poor too; luckily it is good enough for the interview today.
I happen to be a member of the armed resistance in Chin State and I have a high position within the organization. My life was very different before: I worked in an education organization in Hakha that aimed to provide education for all, especially in remote areas. I was in Hakha when the coup happened. I didn’t join the first day of massive protests. But from the second day I joined the people's movement. After one or two months, the military started shooting at unarmed protestors—with snipers—in the head. They would shoot anyone, including young people or even children. That's when we decided we could not continue peacefully. So, we left and went to the jungle. We set up camps and started to fight back against the military junta with handmade weapons—that’s all we had—so since March 2021 I’ve been tasked with finding arms. On April 14thwe had our first fight. The first day of the armed revolution. Many youths joined us and came to the jungle despite the harsh living conditions. We have to rely on local Chin people to get food, and we also coordinate with Chin people living in foreign countries and with Kachin people.
I was born in a rural area, and it was challenging to get an education. That's why I got involved in promoting and creating opportunities for youth: my mission is to create quality education for young people in remote areas. In my opinion, education can change the world. I’ve been working in this sector for about five or six years. I got a scholarship to study Public Policy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand in 2020, and then I came back to develop and improve education in Chin State. But, as soon as I arrived, the pandemic started and all my projects got postponed. Schools were closed indefinitely, and then the coup happened. I had to think and brainstorm what I could do to help: that's when I decided to join the armed resistance, believing in the people's power to get self-determination.
The power of education is so strong, but sadly our country hasn’t had good education for decades. Because of poor schooling, we aren’t capable of fighting back against the military in a better way. Some people do not understand how and why we should fight back against the Burmese army—some people get involved because of pressure or influence from their friends and family, but not because of their own will or beliefs. That shouldn’t be the case. Belief in the revolution is what makes a winning game. We need to fight with all we have for our future and democracy. And as I said, the military has been systematically destroying our schooling system. If people had access to proper education, they could understand the whole revolution differently. That's why we need to show them the way. We will win, and this revolution is an opportunity to teach people differently. Most people in Chin State support the revolution, and if we make it our priority, we can win. We need to win for the sake of future generations.
I have been impressed by the determination of young people to join the revolution. They do it despite knowing they are risking their lives, and they put their whole heart into it. Young people have been the most inspirational people I have met along the way since the coup took place.
I've been lucky to have experienced a high standard of living in the past. I’ve spent time in Hakha, Yangon and abroad. I was used to having access to entertainment and modern facilities. Now I am back in my childhood living conditions, but luckily it’s something I’ve experienced before. It's hard; we survive as we can. We don’t have a roof over our heads, just a plastic cover. At the moment, our daily food is potatoes and rice. Some of the people who joined us last year have left: some are in India, and others have fled to other countries. It’s hard for those who stay to see people leave. One of my friends recently left, and it's been heart-breaking. Sometimes I wish I'd left, but I won't; I will stay until we win, and encourage those around me to do the same.
I have big hopes for Myanmar. I have met many talented and gifted young people along the way and through my different life experiences. But we lack strong leadership so our room for improvement is limited. But here lies the driving force: if we win, the power will be in the hands of ordinary citizens, and many young people's lives will improve. Our country will become better and free. My dream is to eliminate the military dictatorship and make Myanmar a federal democratic union. There should be no more fear, for anyone, regardless of race, religion, skin colour, beliefs, language, or location. In the new Myanmar, people will live in harmony and peace.
Right now, what I can do is fight alongside my comrades. Later on, it will be the interim period or post-revolution. Then, step by step, I would like to build a new country. I’ve become a decision maker during the armed revolution, and since I studied Public Policy, I would also like to get involved in law-making and policy later. After that, my wish is to return to the educational field.
We’ve had a lot of battles lately. As I speak, the Burmese military is marching to our camp. They’ve been doing that for the past few weeks. It's the rainy season, and the mud, cars and landslides have destroyed the roads. But whatever the conditions are, we are ready to fight back. So far, our soldiers are safe but some civilians have been arrested. Every day we must be prepared for whatever is to come."
These stories are collected by the Real Stories Not Tales team. Real Stories Not Tales is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring awareness to the reality of people's lives since the Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st, 2021. Stories are collected through interviews with each protagonist by the team, either in Burmese or in English. Each character is drawn by a professional illustrator. RSNT is an anonymous name that is used by the group to guarantee security to all parties involved in the collection of the stories.