A year after the terror, guilt and disobedience of Myanmar slaves | War Stories

More than nine months have passed since the troops formed seizure of government in Myanmar that journalist Khit Thit decided to leave the country.

A few weeks after the coup d’état, Khit Thit spent a long time running around Yangon, the country’s largest city, writing about the daily pro-democracy protests.

The government’s response to the protests had failed, but within a few weeks, the security forces began their march. beating and arresting protestersgang shootings, terrorist attacks, and killings.

A few weeks after the verdict, Khit Thit, whose name has been changed for security reasons, was holding a demonstration in Sanchaung, a narrow street in the north-central city of Yangon, where he slowly escaped from police custody. run to a nearby hotel. They came upon the roof of a house nearby, where they saw police brutally assaulting a protester, begging for mercy.

During the night, soldiers patrolled the area in the dark, and forced their way into the house to arrest those suspected of participating in the protests.

It was a very dangerous time. I could not sleep, and I was always worried that I would be arrested, ”he said.

Khit Thit shared the house with several other journalists, but while others fled to the border areas, he joined the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), which was formed to form an army. refusal of weapons against the seizure, Khit Thit remained. He hoped to continue reporting on Yangon, but when things went awry in Yangon, he returned to his hometown of Myanmar.

There were also dangers there.

Khit Thit’s neighbors knew he was a journalist, and they were worried that one of them might identify him.

He made a plan to escape with his mother, planning to escape through the back window and hide in the monastery if the authorities came to call.

After several turbulent weeks, she decided to leave the country and board a plane for Bangkok, the capital of the neighboring country of Thailand.

“I had a lot of worries, it wasn’t consistent,” he said. “It was a very difficult decision. I did not want to go to another country or leave my family like that. I also felt guilty because my friends were in the woods, fighting for their country, but I was taking care of myself.

“Even when the plane took off, although I was relieved, I still felt depressed, as I did not know when I would return,” he said, adding that self-blame also prevented him from telling his friends in the jungle.

Maung Lwin had a similar experience. After the coup, he stayed for several months, before fleeing to Thailand for fear of being arrested.

“I felt guilty, and I blamed myself,” says Maung Lwin. “It took a long time for me to make that decision, and even though I walked away, I didn’t feel good about myself.”

Living in fear

Since the beginning of the genocide, life in many parts of Myanmar has changed dramatically. The economy is at its peak, largely due to the seizure, with the World Bank last week showing a 1 percent annual growth rate until September, when it fell by 18 percent in the last 12 months.

Fear is also unstable.

In response to resisting the spread of his power, the military has shown a “grave disregard for human life”, according to Michelle Bachelet, chief of the United Nations human rights body, as well as the harassment of journalists, “decentralized activities”. targeting the villagersand indiscriminate attacks “by aircraft and the use of powerful weapons in residential areas”.

More than 1,500 people have been killed since the attack, including those killed in several wars in the country, with the UN estimating that more than 300,000 have fled their homelands last year.

An unknown number has escaped across the border.

Some demonstrators have taken up arms against the military, joining the People’s Defense Force, the National Unity Government army. [File: AFP]

Some who have the resources to do this, such as Khit Thit and Maung Lwin, have gone to neighboring countries such as. Thailand and India, while others have moved far away, either out of concern for their own security or because of a lack of economic opportunities.

They include Nickey Diamond, a former civil rights activist. He left Yangon, then Myanmar, after being warned by the military that he was in for a rude awakening.

He now lives with his family in Germany, pursuing his PhD in a coastal town in the south of the country, while continuing to work for community mobilization.

Diamond also said he was “deeply saddened” by the departure of Myanmar, admitting that he had “the faults of the survivors” because “we were able to leave the country, but some people remained”.

But as a person who has been able to leave, he also feels obligated to talk about what is happening in his home country with his friends and colleagues around the world.

“We have served as ambassadors for Myanmar to educate the public about the situation. In some countries I meet people who do not know what is going on, so it is my duty to inform them,” he said, adding that the need for the service was increased. Myanmar.

“Not everyone has become a fighter. Many people are still going through the city with non-violent protests, and sometimes they need money to support the migration. So whatever my friends want in my country, I help, ”he said.

‘Silent protests’ took place in Yangon on Tuesday to mark the centenary of the military coup. Yangon streets were quiet, except for soldiers who marched near Sule Pagoda when armed police closed the road. [EPA]

In recent weeks, journalist Khit Thit has stated that his guilt for leaving the country has diminished, and he has realized that his work as a journalist can help keep people informed.

After much searching, he told his friends in the bush that he was gone.

“She was happy to hear that I was OK. I did not expect that, and it made me very happy, ”he said.

Like Diamond, he now hopes to use his time abroad to continue telling the truth about what is happening in Myanmar.

“As a journalist, all I can do is show my nationality to the people of Myanmar and to the rest of the world. “Wherever I go, I will do good for my country, and I believe that by doing so I can help remove the military,” he said.