Transcript: Episode #226: The Long Road Home
Below is the complete transcript for this podcast episode. This transcript was generated using an AI transcription service and has not been reviewed by a human editor. As a result, certain words in the text may not accurately reflect the speaker's actual words. This is especially noticeable when speakers have strong accents, as AI transcription may introduce more errors in interpreting and transcribing their speech. Therefore, it is advisable not to reference this transcript in any article or document without cross-referencing the timestamp to ensure the accuracy of the guest's precise words.
Host 0:16
I'd like to welcome everyone tuning into this episode. Many of you now listening likely have a measure of personal freedom and liberty in your own lives, freedoms that the speaker you're about to hear from no longer enjoys. I do not agency and safety in our lives the upcoming guests and everyone else in Myanmar these days can only dream of. So after you hear their story, please consider how you may use your freedom to support or advocate on behalf of the Burmese people. Any action no matter how small counts now let's hear what they have to say.
Brad 1:58
And welcome back. My guest today is a prominent activist whose history of activism dates all the way back to the four eighths uprising. And we're going to be talking about what he was doing Dec. Six I've been doing for Myanmar from outside ever since the coup. So go, would you I'd like to thank you for coming on. And I'd like to give you just an opportunity to give you a background and talk a little bit about who you are to our audience.
Ko Ko Gyi 2:35
Hi, yah, nice talking to you. My name is goofy. I'm like you, activists, former student leader and activist, I was activist and freedom for my country. So it was very nice to talk to you.
Brad 3:04
Alright, well, thank you for joining us. So let's let's start with the default rates uprising. So you were I mean, you were there physically when that happened. So, how did how did you get involved with that protest movement?
Ko Ko Gyi 3:19
Yeah, it was like 35 years ago I was like 20 my country at the time my country has been for like 26 year and not the one party dictatorship system led by the lead general near when you've been controlling his control country for like 26 year and then another one party to digest system My country is Lego has to had to like actually, you know my country is very resource rich country. We have everything No, the famous Jade you know Rui, take everything by guest everything we have we are very rich in the resource. But you know, after the 26 year under the one party military's dictatorship system by country just prove like a bank robber in 9087. knows at least development country so and then what what the Dutch just did it's like the declared government declare the major denomination to the illegal so that's a problem. Yeah. problem for the 80% of the population. No, we are living in poverty now 80% of people are living in poverty, only the handful of you know we got a big trouble with the cancellation of the audit, major, major denomination. So I was I was at the Rangoon Institute of Technology student at the time, we students started protests against the ruling party. That was a, you know, risky, risky, very risky job. Because, you know, no worry, do, you know, protests or like do against students, university students started protest against what the government just did to the people. It was in like, I think like 1987, September, but, you know, at the time, the authority then crushed our protests. Because, you know, they know if they credit all of our student borrowers by canceling the denomination, right, that's, that's why they just send all the students back home and close down at university and but, you know, they didn't they never compensated whatever they declared, you know, cancellation or the denomination, but one is to reopen, we just came back to the school was it was like a 90 Ada and then our our student just you know or the tall village a lot of people are you got trouble, because of you know, or money just gone right. So, we got broke, so, people get a lot of trouble, and then we stay you know, just discussing about how are the mismanagement or the authority I think it was it was an lega must 13
No incident happen with the LUCA look at you in student that, that was not like a very, very, it was like a very usual right, you know, we sustain around the canvas, and we just run the, you know, public house in the, near the camera, then students stay there live there. And then student just hanging out with a group look at people I was, it wasn't too you know, is normal, right. But what is not normal at the time was mega, no, the guy who just you know, abused the student was like, one of the sign of the local authority. We have a clash with these, these these guy, and then we just want to but just just next day, you know, he just released from the, you know, like a police station. So one of the students saw him, Okay, we just get angry. We want him to get low carb or something like that, we're going to take the issue. So we tried to make a case but you just release simply because he is a local authority so that's why police station didn't do anything to him. So that makes a student get angry. So then we got a big you know, big clash between local authority and local local people and students. So we get a big fight and and later on the the security forces show up there wasn't seems like like, try to solve the problem. They intentionally aim to crack down our student, we are just we were just gathering in the student compound to cool down all the you know, the class or the fight, or the you know, the big student and, or the professor tried to cool down or the student and security force show up, and then they stop correct on to only to the students who get approved peacefully, all everything's coming down under duress, but you know, they just they didn't give any money or didn't talk to the student they just start cracking down and students so that does does happen at night but QRadar they just the authority just look at full set using what I can know. And then they use it to guess. And then later on, they use a recoil again, to shoot to the you know, this who you're gathering student crop.
So that's why we got to we got to run away, we didn't expect that the kind of you know, crackdown criminal suit, we just set a thing I think like, like, six seven student was shot one up, Dan was just dead on the spot. This name what I believe I remember his name, his name was like Paul Moore, a student named PAUL MOORE what just shot in dead right away on the spot. So that's that's the that's make the problem bigger. I got to the maxima. And then we just started the protest big protests, I can see, you know, the ingested behavior by the security forces. So that's the beginning of the famous eight, eight ADA for it. Uprising in my country. That was in 35 years ago. I still remember in the interview as a student activist,
Brad 12:53
so following the protest movement, obviously there will be crackdowns. We know that a lot of people died, the government of the day the military, government lies but even by their estimation, hundreds of people were killed. I think international numbers have that in the 1000s Possibly more than 10,000 people. So what what did you do following this this uprising?
Ko Ko Gyi 13:25
141 students were arrested and we just name it like, you know, kind of like district district for the no we try to ruin the country something like that, you know, and I just I was torture, I remember was torture very badly. And that's sent to the you know, in famous incident you know, we were just released and expectedly on the July No, it was I was arrested in March and then released in July. And before we were released from the day we tried to communicate the you know, student who live outside to like organize the they kind of like protest big protests by the one we are there was a one big protest happen in the you know, Rangoon but at the time, seemed like a you know, before the 30 just brutally critical. And then student run away. And then woman leader we just released unexpectedly released on June and we We started to organize like it nationwide pick up at it, we set up the take. And then we, we always spread around to the whole nation to organize secretly organized for the uprising. And it was happened in August 8 9080. That was a very, very, very, very huge protests nationwide protests like the one in like 2021, February after the coop right.
But you know like today so, so the world didn't aware that much about our no protest. I believe that, you know, according to the you know, in the national watch list, the there was, there were like 3000 people were shoot dead on the August 8 1980. So, so, we just, we just found was powerful like 26 year in my country, another you know, digital ship, or like a 26 year, nobody can form like a kind of, you know, we don't have any freedom or you know, association no freedom of speech nothing. So, we we try to form the the Students Union on the after the uprising and then we just think it's like a kind of general new we're under his follower, general St. Lucia. I think that's to government just had to step step down because of the you know, our nationwide uprising by you know, on the September 1988, September 18 Add the military and from the Lego and Dr. Myanmar government and they took the coop and they declare martial law the crackdown the nationwide uprising very, very, very, very true Delhi. So, we have to run away to the nearing and then we just try to fight back against the or the, the tightest, they like military data, right, though they just move from the one body and one body detection system to the military detection system, that they are using the gun to control the country. So we have to we decided to find that got a five bit is in use and struggle.
But that's why we found we found the all bomber student Democratic Front, the military know, the student military army, the TIE Bomber Bora in 1989. Yeah, like, you know, the PDF, you know, we just organization, they already been established in that type of mob aura or like, they've been, you know, rebelling against Central Government for like, more than 56 year. So, we set out on Saturday and we just tried to get it or the training or the, you know, military assistance from the ethnic group, and we fight back the, you know. Coalition organization I think it's an Leggett in 1990, around 1991. I need to, you know, the generic You know, he tried to make a ceasefire agreement with some major you know, at an organization and then he tried to you know, divide and rule right he made the deal with some group but he fight to the same groups and other revolution getting we so the targeted the like, can you Korean listener Okay, can you okay and current mission a unity and then he just do you generate Can you just make a ceasefire with the inochi, AIA and some other like, ethnic group.
So stay in the Keanu area and fighting together with a Keanu. And you might notice that, you know, the stronghold the key and the or the stronghold of the Keanu the very famous stronghold, like a main floor and the metal wall, or the you know, very, very strong differences. Camp, we're just, you know, capture of it the time we just reconsider our policy. The struggle alone cannot win. Because we didn't have it very much support from the international community or like diaspora, like this time in the spring revolution is very different. So we didn't get any support from the international community or our we decided to go ahead to go to the Lego country. Right. And then we're going to we're going to continue our struggle from the country like a democracy country western country with the non violent tactics so that's why we changed our way
Brad 22:44
93 So let's let's go back a little bit cuz I'm very interested in in what you said. So the the old Burma students Democratic Front partnered in a sense with the Cochin independence army and the current national union. And these have been fighting against the military for a very very long time, as you noted, and it's it's fascinating to me, because this is exactly what we saw now in the spring revolution. We saw Bama de que en la so I'm wondering, like, how did this How did this happen? Like when you went to the border area? Did you already have contact with the Keanu did they accept you? Or did they initially not trust you? How was the relationship formed?
Ko Ko Gyi 23:41
You know, at the time, you know, declare new and some arcade and all the you know, era Oh, they didn't expect that much no students refusing the territory, they didn't expect that because I think like 10s of 1000s of you know, student wear shoes in Kenya area alone. I think like more than 20 30,000 Right. So the guy who take care all the students who have no fluff around the country, and then our armor, so they didn't you know, price on us right away. Right? Because you know, they are fighting Gansey like majority of Bara like 3035 years ago, their policy is fighting back against Bama majority. That's their policy. Region to fight back against like a farmer majority. So, we are like from the farmer area we are from the United city. So, we got to some problem with the at an organization where we you know take reviews in the beginning but you know like Amer abolishing group I was I was there in like a month you know more new monster power Erie area it was very close to the key and right. So, most of most of us one in there to Keanu area I was there in and I can pre record up as type of opera. So that area was controlled by the moon at the net so that area there was a very big fight between the GNU and one more new monster party more so, we live we had to stay there in three vocoder paths but a couple months so that area was like it was or was like a puzzle. So, what I mean is like you know during the audit resistant group so that's why resistant group didn't have like, kind of like a unity, right? They had like it kind of our alliance is calling and the epicenter, I realize it to the eight ethnic group. Alliance together they form that alliance Do you think the military is playing divide and rule between the or the ethnic group? So that's why the general can you use same old tactics, they're still using, you know, military is still using the same old tactics to divide and rule within the Lego resistant force. That's a problem. That was a new problem that was in the new Torah that was the same problem say well problem.
So later on, we fight back together with Keanu and mourn together again, the Lega military so we are gaining that, you know, trust within us because we we give our lives to fight you know, fight better, you know, our main enemy together with it, or the internet. So later on, we can no trust between us
only shoes are I was gonna say like, abs Yes. It's like, can make the bridge between the majority Parma and all the ethnic people by pain, some of the our colleagues life. So we can be confident and we can trust Dr. Otto JNU. And that's what the EBS did.
Brad 29:14
And I think I think we're now here in you know, 2021 2223 seeing the benefit of the seeing the long term value that this has had for the in the in the revolution. So, so let's then move, move forward a little bit. So unfortunately, the four eighths uprising did not succeed in in overthrowing the military dictatorship it caused change. But it was it was not safe for you and for your colleagues to to return to cities like Yangon or Mandalay I presume you would have been arrested even in the 90s and, and the 2000s. Is that correct?
Ko Ko Gyi 29:59
Yeah, you know, I didn't have a chance to go back to my country for like 2025 and 25 years? No yeah was in like 2012 one the, the the regime military regime, change their tactics to, like, negotiate with all the, like, another name of the national reconciliation after the, you know, throughout the 2008 constitution. So that was my first time and 25 year 2012. invaded President Tensei, you know, things in general things. So, the year his government invited us to visit there. So, that was my first time and 25 year after I live in United States for like 2020 2025 Yeah. Yeah.
Brad 31:15
That's, that's impressive. And so, will you. So this is the big one is, were you continuing to engage with the cause of Burmese?
Ko Ko Gyi 31:30
Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, that was our major, you know, like, I live my life was changed from a student, pre college student, to the, you know, like a member of this student army, right. So, so, as soon as I arrived to the United States, I tried to trouble the whole nation to recruit. As you know, try to survive in the United States. By, like, a normal life. We don't, we didn't, we didn't, we didn't mean died that day, we we already decided to fight back against the leadership, and then try to get the freedom and genuine democracy to restore back in my country. To this lie, I recruit all my colleagues. And we started falling. As a nation, in the United States, I think that was a that was the that was the first time the student organization in the United States. So we just started, like, campaigning, you know, lobbying, all the activity, whatever, activity weaker, to convenient, doing very actively in the United States since like, 19, early 1994.
Now we push the Congress, we push the president, I think, at that time was like, President Bill Clinton, right. So we start gaining once the first session against the military regime Barmah in the role, like 1997, the president Bill Clinton, was just, you know, sign it, like, first session bill, that was my first achievement in the never stopped, you know, doing what we do.
Brad 33:54
Excellent. And so, so let's move it, you know, all the way forward. So we see, as we as we all know, you know, 2015, the NLD actually wins the election and the military, this time, allows them to take their place. 2020, the NLD wins reelection, which doesn't surprise anybody except the military. And so 2021 There is a coup they take over the power used to be, you know, activists in Myanmar, who have left the country and maybe in 2015, you were thinking, oh, you know, things will really change. Yeah, democracy government now, and suddenly the military takes it away again. What happened in that, that the Aspera community then,
Ko Ko Gyi 34:44
you know, 2015 won the election, the energy party won a landslide victory in my country. We thought like, Hey, does because, you know, we, I told you, we went there for the first time and to done a tour, within a year after that trip, we had the chance to go, or the the whole, you know, country bomber. We've been there, whatever. There was like a problem area. So we had a chance to learn, or the situation Grace situation Rio Grande situation in my country to Toronto. My feeling is that, you know, the, at the time, you know, the Democratic president in the United States, the Democrat did, President Obama won the election, and then Democratic Party on the House and Senate. So both hasn't seen a country went Democrat, because of the Democratic Party, you know, foreign policy, you know, policy on my country. Whereas the, you know, President Obama took the office, he declared that, you know, he got to talk to all the TITI TA in the world, even in Iran. Right. So that's his policy. So under his engagement policy, Democratic Party engagement policy, my country was, you know, one of them, one of the, you know, so, I believe the post engagement and that name of the national reconciliation. So that's why Dawson Soo Ji decided to contest the like, by election into the other genre, our party wants to emcee. And then later on to the on the 15th, our party won, and it won a landslide. So all this kind of like the political you know. Sorry, right. I just knew, I noticed that, oh, that landscape will change. So this is the time to retire for my division, right? So I, okay, let's just relax. I just kind of like forced to retire or something like that. Right. So but you know, 2021, free world for us. Oh, my goodness. All the bad news just came up, or all the electric number j, including the authencity. President women, so we were just get I get all of that news, we got to reorganize all the columns A come on to this time. We can already have that. That was That shouldn't happen. So the campaign wherever we are.
So I think our first you know, protest in front of the, the regime embassy in Washington, DC was in February 4, I believe. we reorganized all the protests on the freeway for since we just continue did a lot we've been doing a lot, you know, not only the protests, we just you know, lobbying and, you know, organizing every time we found right there. The trade three main major tax we just started since the coop 2021. Right coop, one is like a no direct action we call direct action, which means protest. No rally like Russia and then another one is like diplomatic campaign, you know, we went to the you know, ASEAN country embassy, you know, via country embassy, everywhere United Nation. We try to push you know, the whole war to Help the sprint robotisation to get help from Sprint volition and reject the cook, so we just push in the hallway we push the Congress, we push you the president office, Bush, state Obama. So we do we do whatever we can. So that's the kind of diplomatic campaign. And the third one is like fundraising. Right? We are the diaspora tried to raise fund every week, you know, people are just, you know, cocaine and sell it food and, you know, collecting the money and send it back to the you know, wherever needed. So that's the three main three main major taxes.
Brad 40:52
and so let's talk about the specific things like you, you, you lead protest movements, but I want to talk about specifically the war bonds, a lot of money is coming and people don't realize when we talk about the money coming from outside of Myanmar, most of that money, overwhelming majority of that money is coming from the Esper groups. It's coming from Myanmar diaspora sending that money and one of the biggest ways that that money helping make that a reality. So what's what's the story there?
Ko Ko Gyi 41:29
Oh, you know, one of my colleagues just note, we started campaigning together in since February your food protests in the locker his name was like a stimulus like a 10 layer. So, he was weird, we had we had a meeting every night No, since the February we just planning everything and later all he would just throw salad deck by the CRP is to be applied he was appointed like international relation office, like IRI our office, you know, manage or something like that. So, then we got connection with very, very close connection with a CRP H. And later on crbh found and ug and then my colleague, Talia became the one of the minister of energy. So, that mean you know, we have a very very good you know, very deep relation with the theapplication and form the like, kind of comedy with a my close colleague, which call again the CRP Asian and ug support and coordinating committee in the United States. So, we found the committee and now we just regularly have a meeting discussing talk in and you know, for regular basis, so, that's why we try to advise So, whatever we have an extra year in the United State, we just try to give the input give an idea and support them and give them with the you know, coordinate with all these you know, difficult difficulty the phasing we provided, you know, our input, very good input to the CRPS and that energy so, one of the, one of the ways we just advise them, hey, the US in the history of the US, you know, in the Second World War, you know, US president just created on and sell to.
So, final you guys just create the kind of same area Oh, does that does the you know, initial initial initiation of the bomb? So, like, specific specifically, you know, that, Minister Taleo he picked up the idea. And then he just, you know, present it to the his Cabinet meeting and the Cabinet member just agreed. Oh, yeah, that's cool idea. So let's do elante Just try to make it make it happen. So which is very mutually gratifying for a new energy.
Brad 45:38
And I mean, we've seen, you know, those bonds raise 10s of millions of dollars. So they they've been a very serious revenue raising mechanism. Yeah. Even that, of course, is not not the most significant thing that you've worked towards. So probably, I would say one of your largest achievements and of your colleagues as well, is. Which, if anyone has read the bill, and we've spoken about this bill, before on this on this podcast, we've had Mike hack, come in and talk about it as well. It is a pretty substantial document. It's a pretty substantial bill that that makes a lot of funding available for Myanmar that recognizes, you know, the PDF and the CEOs and all these different groups. So what's the story of that bill?
Ko Ko Gyi 46:29
You know. Tried to introduce it, Palma egg, in the late 2021. So as soon as we heard that news, we tried to contact the similar vanguard in office, and we tried to communicate with the office and then we just discovered him, we support him and we try to show the sport. So because we need it, we knew that you know, we need some kind of pill to support our spring revolution. So Palma Bay sounds like a very good nationwide campaign Hey, we got to support Bama Bay, which was introduced by the Ben Carson and then in the Sydney Anna Gregory magnate house great comedian from New York in house. So we just tried to you know, organize all the styles for living in you know, different states to organize day by mob bass and studying not a convenient so at the time, my hEGGs very active he helped a lot to pass a you know, Barbie tray, all the diaspora to how to make that appointment with the like, Congressman, Congresswoman, and then what is the talking point something like that the train or the community? So that's good. And then we have a we have a set of delegate Messenia group to discount every week once a week there isn't we just have been regular media later or we just had to you know, study more detail about the bummer be the day we call but maybe it's not the mic I'm a bit okay. So we had to study very closely to the VA because you know, the bomber base not read off officially introduced in the House and Senate does I think it's in like 2001 probably September October around I'm not sure. I don't remember the date but around September Ottawa, the pay was just officially introduced. And that we can just read all the you know, 30 pages, we have a chance now. So, we found the like, professional professional team to study detail about the bomber egg 2021 So I think it's every Watson little every send us every day. So they just found out what is all the fashion of Palmer Bay is right. So they just make a comparison. So, this is what the bumblebee need to do. fix it. So what, what, what in or like, Tuesday was just, you know, introduced in 2019.
But it was was in the name, same name, but maybe it's I forgot that name 2019 one after we have no big clash, big problem with the Rohingya community 2017 In my country. So United States Congress tried to introduce a kind cannot rule injure ringer be and then try to put pressure on the military and the government. So it 2021 after the bill was just officially introduced, when we read through all the, you know, Sanders DD words, we just found out that, you know, there is some kind of politically incorrect like a foreign server nugget, you know, using the military as a government or something like that, so, so are we just, really, we got to, man, we got to change it. So we got to, so we started the amendment process, to our professional team started the amendment process. And then we just tried to push the Adi representative or Sydney to it to the amendment of the bomber, the origin of Bumblebee doesn't, you know, have any energy or you know, a new CC or like PTF or ethanol and organization something that didn't include what just includes like the bomber be just recognize the result of the 2020 November election. That's the only one for the N UG. So United States must recognize and ug United statement support that, you know, and UCC and CRP, Asia, or the spring revolucion. So including a PDF and you know, the organization and an organization. So we put the amount, we put the major politically major things in the our amendment session, and we try to so, are we called no individual, especially, like, the one who are very influenced in the Senate is like Mitch McConnell. So we approach him we approach to his office, and then call and make an appointment and we just explain the origin of Bama X, not the one we need. So that's the facts we got. That's it politically, you know, make it productive you know, pushing, you know, pressuring or the congressman and you know, call all the you know, Synergia. So, in 2022 NDAA, the Mishima corner made some amendments like Assam Sanders, put in the 2022 NDA, which is what we are proposing for the no pass in the 2020 do like a prayer or something like that in the house. Right. But it was dead in the Senate. So,
Brad 54:28
so do you know why, like, I'm wondering, like, what were the specific things Mitch McConnell wanted to change?
Ko Ko Gyi 54:35
I don't know. Exactly. But, you know, I got to share my opinion. Right? Because because, you know, Mitch McConnell is like it you know, long you been, you know, introducing Laura, you know, Sasha MB, or whatever, you know, these United States does not try to punish the military. He was there. Mitch McConnell just took a lead. Right? So he know very much about situation in my country, and that he'd been interested in my country. And then, ah, he been after, you know, answer. So he was released from the 2000 tour, you've been in close contact with her. We've been, I believe, they have a very good connection with each other. So, and then he went, he went to Bama to meet authencity. And one time, I think like 13, or 14 isn't the thing. Yeah.
You know very well, about the detector from a country. So that's why he tried to make it really offended. Policy and offended, no, build from the United States. That's what he was doing. Every time, you know, every day in Congress, the United States kind of pill, he just always make it very effectively. He just, you know, like a madman or something like that. So you see, like a 2012 and D. 2022 NDAA. So that's, I believe, what the means, like, he showed all the, you know, the Congress that the does the way we got to do it, because the bomber be alone. It's not very effective. If I'm gonna be alone in the Congress, it will not be because NDA is like a National Defense Authorization Act, so does mean, you know, that's, that's such as US interests. Right. So directly connected with the US interest. So the what? Mitch McConnell did this very, very, he's he didn't, you know, Congress a long time, he knew he knew his champion, he knew all the way whatever. So so that's why he put it, you know, Bama about Obama in the end. So that's why I think like Gregory meet, Noah also represented a group in me and others, Sinitta the chain that, you know, take tests to put the bomb RP in that 2023 and D. So that's what Mitch McConnell showed them to do it. So I think that's a very personal, you know, his personal interest? I think. Yeah. Because of the Mitch McConnell personal interest.
58:20
We love it.
Brad 58:23
Yeah, complicated person. Yeah. But, but nevertheless, we now see that the boom Act has passed with, with the NDAA, which is a very good thing. It's very good step forward. But of course, not nothing is ever enough.
58:38
And so standard, what
Brad 58:40
is what is on the horizon? I presume that you are continuing to work to lobby the State Department, you're continuing to organize protests
Ko Ko Gyi 58:54
in the coming year? Yeah. Since you know, Bama, it was in the NDA autoantigens on 23. So that mean, you know, all the atoll authority is in the president hand. Right. The administration. Executive Branch, it's very important, right? The Congress give the give the authority to the executive branch. Whatever he wants to do, you can do it. That's why we try to approach the State Department. The State Department is that you know, that major fixed fine in for the President, right. So we try to approach state Obama, we use our you know, taxpayer, right. We use our you know, constituent, right, right. We are voted right. We are voted voted voted right. So, we use those kinds of power to with a staple of our men, and now we just discard it, and we just push it to have a very, very, very, very good move from the president what the major push it like, you know, since the regime is using air power to bomb the you know, civilian villages and then using can shoot helicopter, we try to protest we bummer to have like to support the early warning system to perma. So we know the no fly zone is not going to happen. It's really hard. But you know, we push us anyway, stay. But you know, our main know, the object is like to get the early warning system for the, you know, the area where the regime is.
So if we get like, AR one is like early warning system, but be bigger, just No, no, hey, region, airplanes and fighter jets coming. So we're going to runway, so that that C major push we're doing. And then another major push like emoji Sasha, which is really needed. Because you know, region, region is surviving with the money from the emoji, right?
You know, why money, very shoes, they are getting benefit from the kind of, you know, emoji. So we tried to push really hard to state apama to put the emoji Sasha. But it's a little bit, you know, the state of Burma and just give me the reason they, you know, they are afraid to give the people something like that. And not only Burmese people or the Thai people might get some kind of difficulty to get the power if we, if the United States put the emojis sanction on the emoji. So does that reason they just give us so that's why we connect, we try to connect recruit with the or the ground forces to we send that report to the state about it's not using the gas natural gas from Barbara, to help his own people. Most of the, you know, gas they're getting from Barbara, like a urinal project or something like that. They just sell them back to the you know, other country. They have enough, you know, energy source in their own country. The one they just get it from the bomber is we just send it to this, this State Department say hey, if we put the sanction on the emoji, it's not going to affect the, you know, people or Thailand or people Burma because our Burmese people used to live in the dark. So now even in now the only the two hour in the world 24 hour together, you know power.
So the power just get like the don't care news, people who just you know, care about on five bed, the, you know, the terrorist regime. That's all they don't care to live in, in target. They don't get no power house. Okay. So we just send it, you know, to kind of paper to the State Department. And that, ah, this, Hey, yeah, every option on the table has an answer to that get a little bit progress
because they cannot get that result anymore. But you know, they change the tone. Hey, every option on that. I mean, we're getting close, right? So we would try. We're trying Yeah, we're still trying to push in a state of session emoji. So I think it's gonna happen one day, I believe.
Brad 1:05:04
I mean, hopefully. But there's certainly a lot going on. And there's certainly a lot that we need to, that we need to achieve for the revolution. And you're definitely doing a lot was that those of raised with the NDAA, and the millions, hundreds of millions of dollars that that makes available for for Myanmar aid. So suddenly, your work is, is having measurable impacts and measurable results. And I want to thank you for the things that you do. And I want to thank you for joining us today. But as is our tradition on the podcast, we want to end the episode by by giving you an opportunity to send a message directly to the audience, and just leave them with and the things that you want us to focus on, moving forward. So I just like to invite you to leave us with your thoughts on that now.
Ko Ko Gyi 1:06:05
Yeah, sure. Sure. Yeah. Leslie, I think recently, last week, we just had a very good meeting within the forces within the United States. So for doing the diplomatic campaign campaign, we got to step up our campaign diplomatic campaign, we got to like, to support to support bomber for more money, right. So we need more money for the humanitarian system or whatever reason, we need more money. So we're going to push right now the Congress is supporting by Mahalia and when basically 130 6 million or Parma humanitarians is n or n dA, so we got to push more to get like kind of now leader assistant and then communication system. So that's that's especially you know, like a communication system or technic technology system that we need, because you know, rejean just using the forecast system, you know, direct the cut the you know, internet, they cut the all the communication, they cut the you know, all everything. So, so, so, we needed like internet to restore it, we need to you know, communicate while we have pushing, so, maybe after we just discussing TD, we might have a kind of like, job to do it. So, I will we need the American people help.
So, so, we will let you know that what we are doing, and then we are we need from the American people to get past in the Congress or the pressure to the Congress to pass what we are doing right now, so I will keep in touch with you. And thank you for listening. We definitely need the you know, American people help, because the US Congress or the executive branch, whatever. Our people price are very powerful. Right. So not only the Burmese diaspora, the American wiser, more powerful than the push in industry, government, United States Congress, to help have more of a dip and to try to help and the terrorist region that's what we need it.
Host 1:09:24
humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities across Myanmar. Over time, however, we have also come to realize that another consequence of the coup is a severely collapsed economy. Trade and Tourism have almost entirely evaporated, and local artists and community suddenly found every opportunity of continuing livelihood closed off to them. To help support those artists and communities. Better Burma now brings item direct from their workshop into your home. These lovely pieces from a far corner of the world will not only light up your room or make a love livelihoods, part of each purchase will also go towards our ongoing nonprofit mission. See these beautiful crafts, visit alokacrafts.com That's aloka crafts, A L O K A C R A F T S one word, alokarafts.com. Of course, as is your preference, you can also consider making a donation through our normal channels. If you would like to join in our mission to support those in Myanmar who are being impacted by the military coup, we welcome your contribution in a range of humanitarian and media missions, aiding those local communities who need it most. Donations are directed to such causes as the Civil Disobedience movement CDM families of deceased victims, internally displaced person IDP camps, food for impoverished communities, military defection campaigns, undercover journalists, refugee camps, monasteries and nunneries education initiatives the purchasing of protective equipment and medical supplies COVID relief and more.
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