"Just Run!"
Recently, we shared the first part of a story featuring the artist Chuu Wai, and how she came to create much of the protest art in Yangon, in the first few days following the coup. In that post, Chuu shared how she became inundated with requests from protesters to design signs for them, and so soon realized that her real value was in making the signs, rather than holding them. In the second part of her story, Chuu describes how she responded once things suddenly became very dark in Yangon, and the military became increasingly aggressive. Listen to the full interview to hear Chuu’s entire discussion.
“I realized at this moment, when they’re in front of the door, asking questions, that whatever they want to do to me, they can.”
“We were based downtown near the Sule area under the bridge. Everyday, there was something happening there. At the same time, I wanted to follow around, based on the news of the other locations, so I asked my friend to help me get a truck.
We separated into two groups: one to paint on the ground and one to paint the truck. We decorated the truck with posters and hung a sign that we will make free posters for everyone! We were just writing whatever they wanted us to write, like how they really felt, right on the board. So this was really interesting.
But the situation in Yangon was getting darker and darker. The people from the military side, they stabbed a knife into some protesters in downtown, not far from Sule, where we were we based that day. I was standing just on another corner where it happened. So we all had to run! But at the time, I didn't know why they were running. Just everyone told me like ‘Run run run!’
I had this big bag full of paints and suddenly I had to run in this small street, then we were hiding in some building. At this time, the military didn't use real bullets when shooting, but this was the first time anything like this happened.
After that, a few young people who were doing the poster writing, they were put in jail for a few weeks. And the situation in Yangon just kept really getting darker and darker. We couldn't even recognize Yangon as we remembered. Now it was like a real battleground!
By this time, we stopped the poster writing, because it's so difficult with all our equipment to have to run on the street if the soldiers come. I even told people that if something happened, ‘Don't think about the truck, just run! Don't think about any evidence. Just run!’
But luckily we were always a little bit ahead of the bad things happening. We made good decisions to choose locations and also when to leave, so we didn't have a lot of problems. After the situation changed, we decided to all stay in one apartment and only sell our paintings through the Facebook page that I mentioned before. All the profit of the sales went to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
One of our friends had a scooter, and he had to deliver the painting after it was sold, but it was so dangerous for him. Some of the paintings were political and had messages against the coup d'etat. So we only did this for one week. After that we decided to stop.
At the time I was living in Sanchaung, and a lot of soldiers were searching the apartments of buildings, even though they had no paper and no document. When they wanted to check your place, they bring the dog and just go in.
Now, my apartment was so full of these paintings with the handwriting of the people. Definitely when you look at it, like even for just one second, you can see that strong evidence, like how we people hate the military, how they are insulted by us. It shows how much we want freedom and we want justice, that we want the elected leader to be free!
So these paintings were in my room and I definitely needed to move them. I asked someone to move them from my apartment to a safe place. It was like an American Hollywood slasher movie! It was so stressful. Sanchaung was full of military on every corner that we had to pass. Some foreign people helped us to move this painting. At some point, maybe the military noticed a car with a different license plate moving something. But we will never know.
A few days later, some soldiers knocked on my apartment door, holding a gun at the front door! And just asking so many questions. There was only one guy who wasn't wearing a uniform. He was the one who's really important and leading the group. I realized at this moment, when they're in front of the door, asking questions, that whatever they want to do to me, they can.
I have no protection. I have no protection.
I was scared. At this moment I started to think maybe it's not safe for me to be here. Before, I never wanted to leave my country, as this is time that they need the people the most who can really help! So, I wanted to be in my country, I wanted to do what I could to help. But I talked with some of my friends and I had to decide to leave the country after all.
My friend explained to me the situation and gave me suggestions. “Now think about yourself and what you can do now inside Myanmar. You should be out of the country.” He recommend me to leave the country and from there, prepare to keep on helping Myanmar.
Those people with the guns made me really convinced to leave the country. So I asked for some help. Within a short time, I got a visa. My parents told me not to come home to Mandalay to see them. But I did anyway. And then I went back to Yangon. With the luggage that I left that night they arrived at my apartment, the same luggage, I took a flight. And I arrived in France.”
