Episode #80: The Story of Magway
“Honestly, I was shocked,” May admits. “Now, I have some trauma, because he was so young, the same age as my brother. He had so many dreams. He was just junior at the Technological University, where he wanted to become a professional engineer. So it's just really sad that his hand was amputated, and he no longer has the chance to become an engineer. It's really sad that our young people had dreams, but after the military coup, every dream of theirs has been destroyed.”
So starts off a harrowing discussion with May, who shares the tragic story of witnessing an innocent bystander being attacked by soldiers. Not only was he denied the intensive medical care he so obviously needed, resulting in an amputation, he was sentenced to prison on trumped-up charges to justify the unwarranted assault. Following this story, May opens up about her own decision to follow the revolutionary path, and also fills us in on how Magway, a region located in central Myanmar, has fared since the coup.
May grew up in a low-income family. Her father, a hard-working civil servant, was the family’s sole bread winner. May dedicated herself to academic work, eventually gaining a scholarship to study Public Policy at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and had only just come back home to Myanmar to work on her thesis when the coup hit. Like many, she was shocked and unsure how to respond at first, but ultimately realized her strength was fundraising, and so she threw herself into that work.
Many Gen Z activists, like May, have displayed extraordinary courage and sacrifice during this democracy movement. However, having lived through 1988 and 2007, some in the older generation know full well what the brutal military is capable of, and have been terrified for their children’s safety. May’s father was no different. Moreover, she was concerned for him, since he still worked for the government, so if her revolutionary activities were exposed, she would cause him great trouble. So for these reasons, she kept her activities secret and stayed in safe locations away from home in order to carry out her work.
Her level of involvement has carried with it a serious mental and emotional burden, and May turned to a combination Buddhist meditation and a practice of “positive psychology.” She observes the mental content in her mind, and tries to give less food to those negative emotions and thoughts, which has the result of making her “relaxed and focused on the right things.”
May then gives listeners a virtual tour of the area she grew up in, Magway Division, whose shape she notes is often compared to a standing lady. Magway is famous for its ancient pagodas, and is a common pilgrimage destination for devout Buddhists. Yet it is equally appreciated by foodies, because its central location has become a melting pot for a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from the hilly ethnic regions, to the Delta towards the south, to sweets brought in from India.
Sadly, since the coup, one of the first pieces of news that put Magway on the map was the arrest of Chief Minister Aung Moe Nyo, a lifelong NLD candidate who was known for his integrity and generosity. Refusing to offer any endorsement of legitimacy to the coup, the military manufactured false charges that landed him in prison. Thus, the region’s most respected voice for equity and justice is now locked away.
Concerning the current conflict, May notes that although the city of Magway is fairly flat, it is surrounded by hills, which have become a refuge for many PDF members who’ve fled there for safety. In turn, the military has concentrated considerable firepower in this area, with many villages bearing the brunt of their campaigns. To complicate matters further, Magway Division contains the town of Yenangyaung, home to the most oil-rich land in Myanmar, making it a prized location for security forces and resistance fighters alike.
Two villages have been especially singled out for attack. One is Taung Dwin Gyi, which not long ago was known mainly for being a pleasant mountain town that has produced some of the country’s most noted authors and poets. But a policeman was stabbed there soon after the coup, making it one of the earliest incidents in the movement, and May notes that a strong revolutionary spirit runs through the town. Coincidentally, Taung Dwin Gyi is also not far from Beikthano, a ruin site where the Pyu people lived many centuries ago. The Pyu preceded the Bamar, and this historical UNESCO site may also be at risk if the conflict expands down the road.
Gangaw has been another target of the Tatmadaw’s wrath. Geographically, it borders on Chin State, which has also recently been bombarded by security forces. Gangaw is the home of the well-regarded Yaw Defense Force; May credits their fighting prowess with the rough, rural upbringing of its villagers. Unlike the nearby urban environment where she grew up, many in Gangaw learned to be hunters, a skill that certainly helps if one is a resistance fighter. May explains how various other villages in the Gangaw area have also been targeted repeatedly and with impunity, resulting in the military burning hundreds of homes, and prompting thousands to flee into the jungle ahead of the approaching military, taking only what they could carry. Interestingly, the Gangaw area was mentioned in an earlier podcast, in a talk with Dr. Jenny Ko Gyi. Her husband was a Burmese military officer posted this remote region, and she followed him. She describes the vast forest surrounding the village, where the great Monle Sayadaw (of the Mogok vipassana tradition) lived. Dr. Jenny met him and eventually brought him to Yangon, where he became one of the premier meditation teachers in the country.
For May, the repeated, targeted assaults in and around Magway—her homeland—have been particularly difficult. They have resulted in thousands of newly Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs). May has added this issue to her mission portfolio, and is desperately trying to locate funds to support them. Compounding this even further is that the conflict has prevented farmers from tending to their crops, increasing dangers of a looming starvation. May clearly more than has her hands full!
In closing, she has just one message for listeners. “Please be involved in this revolution. To end the military regime, we have to stand together and fight back. We have to stop then in our generation. If not, we will never, ever decrease their evil. So please become involved in this revolution.”