Interview With Ko Min Ko Naing

Interview with Ko Min Ko Naing, Burma's student leader Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway November 23, 2004

Ko Moe Aye: Ko Min Ko Naing. I am calling you from Democratic Voice of Burma in Norway. How are you? Min Ko Naing: Yes. I am well. What I mean by "well" is ? my health is not that perfect. But I am trying to be healthy. My eyes are hot and the like. My body is a little bit hot. My eyes don?t seem to be good but it is not that they are damaged. Ko Moe Aye: Yes. Min Ko Naing: Norway?s Democratic Voice of Burma! Coincidentally, how should I greet you? Things are like this. When I was in prison, there was nothing for me to read or do for ten years. As I had nothing to read, it was impossible to stay inside the prison. At last, after smoking some cheroots, I looked at the stubs of some cheroots I had smoked and their filters. I found that they were wrapped in shredded newspapers. I thought they were things I could read. When I looked at them, they were indeed newspapers. There, I saw faces, I mean, pictures of faces. I didn?t see any written letter. When I finished smoking another cheroot, I saw the same picture of the face. When I finished another one, it was the same face. Then, coincidentally, I saw a newspaper. In that newspaper cut-out I read that in Norway, a woman received a big egg found by a farmer. When the woman looked at it, she said to herself that the egg could still be hatched. So, she was thinking of a way to hatch a bird from the egg. As she couldn?t think of any other way, she found a way she could. She should hatch the egg by keeping it between her breasts and the heat emanating from it, and she decided to look after and keep the bird alive. That was the news I read. As I was hungry for news, when I heard this kind of news from my own bitter experience, I felt that (I said to myself) "there are still human beings like that! How I have forgotten!" That is my connection with Norway. This is about Norway. When people from Norway greeted me, I remember this little incident. And I am greeting you "mingalaba" (Greetings), in return. Ko Moe Aye: Yes. Thank you very much. Now that you are free after you have been detained for 16 years without having contact with the outside world, what kinds of differences and changes do you observe before and after your 16 years of detention?

Min Ko Naing: Material matters and buildings. I see big and good buildings. I find some of them quite confusing. Is it the same place? Something was here before. Things are not the same now. I find it quite confusing. But at some buildings and places, the people who were with me warned me. For example, signs for guest houses. They told me to block my nostrils. I asked them why. Is it because they have kitchens and they are chopping meat and fish? No, they said. The places were reeking with the smell of oil. I had to walk pass the places with my nostrils blocked. There are things like that I don?t understand fully. That?s all, for now. I don?t know what I will find in the coming days. Ko Moe Aye: Yes. To use your word, it is only at the stage of waking up from the dream world, isn?t so? Min Ko Naing: It?s so. Ko Moe Aye: As you have just woken up from the dream world, I want you tell us about the dark world of the dream world? When they arrested you in 1989, could you tell us how they arrested and charged you? Min Ko Naing: After detaining me more than 3 years with (Act) 10A, one day, they took me away from my cell with a blindfold. When I was able to open my eyes, I was in a martial court. There, they asked me if I did such and such things. Yes, I did all these exactly, and I did more than what they said, I said. In that case, it is enough, they said. Then they prepared to charge me. The charge was Act 124, defaming the government with speeches and writings. Another charge was the 1962 Printing Act. That was for our student union publishing a union magazine and not going through the censorship and scrutiny board etc. They charged me with those two reasons. Then, they combined the punishments for the two charges and sentenced me to 15 years. That?s all. Ko Moe Aye: As far as we know, after serving 15 years, you were given another 10 years with Act 10A. How did you feel when they charged you with Act 10A? Min Ko Naing: On the day I had served my sentence, the prison governor came to me and told me that I had served my sentence and that it?s my day for freedom, but added that he received a letter ordering him to continue to detain me. That?s what he said. If you ask me what?s my opinion on this: the people (in power) at the time

seemed to have thought that if they kept me outside I would be dangerous. That?s all I could guess. Ko Moe Aye: Another thing. As far as we know they transferred you from Insein Prison to Sittwe (Akyab) Prison. Why to Sittwe where you would be far away from your family? What was your assessment on this at the time? Min Ko Naing: I myself can?t work out why they did that. What I mean is ? the main change for me was I was away from my family. As you know, in Sittwe, (my family members) were not able to see me twice a month like other people at Insein Prison. They were able to come and see me only once a year, twice a year at most. Due to the expenses and difficulties for travelling and remoteness, the situation was more family difficult for my family. There was no problem inside the prison (Insein) at the time. I knew nothing. They told me to pack up all my clothes. I was thinking that when I am released, I won?t take anything with me. I told them that I might not need anything. Then they told me that I have to change the prison and they didn?t tell me to where. I boarded on a plane and I ended up in Sittwe. I myself didn?t know why. At the time, when the group?s chief director arrived, I asked him why I was transferred and he told me that he himself didn?t know. Ko Moe Aye: Do you remember how many years you were in Sittwe Prison and Insein Prison? Min Ko Naing: I was in Insein from 13 March 1989. Then, I was transferred to Sittwe prison, in the third week of May 1998. Ko Moe Aye: What do you have to say about the differences and similarities between the two prisons? Min Ko Naing: The differences between the two prisons are not that special. But one thing ? at the time, at Insein Prison, in special blocks, intelligence agents wearing Prison Administration Department uniforms were prowling and circling in the areas 24 hours a day. When I was at Sittwe Prison, there was no one like that. I didn?t see them or hear them anymore. Let?s say, this is the main development. Ko Moe Aye: As you were imprisoned and kept in solitary confinement for 16 years, could you tell us how you managed or not managed to discover what happened in the outside world?

Min Ko Naing: There is a saying among our comrades who have been released from prisons:? when people come and see us, we would say to them, "even if you have brought no curry for us to eat, please bring us some news with you". So, the people inside heard that Razali (UN envoy to Burma) is coming. Razali is coming. When we asked what would happen if he came, they told us that if Razali came, something will happen. And we kept on waiting and waiting and we heard that Razali came. If Razali came what would happen? If Razali came, something will happen. And we kept on waiting and waiting. Then they said that something will happen when Razali is gone. And we kept on waiting and waiting. Then, we heard that Razali is gone. When Razali is gone, would something happen? When Razali is there, something will happen, they told us. Then, when he was gone had something happened? No, they said. Nothing happened and we kept on waiting again. Then, just when we nearly forgot all about it, they told us Razali was coming again. That ?sansara? circle kept on revolving. Ko Moe Aye: As you mentioned Mr. Razali, I want to ask how did you find out about him inside the prison? Min Ko Naing: It?s like this. I only am only starting to ask people (about him) now. About his visits (to Burma), when I ask people now I learn that he is a representative of the UN. In a word, he was sent to negotiate and intermediate as representative of the UN. That is what I have heard. The authorities who were in control at that moment liked Razali. They welcomed and accepted him, and had discussions with him. And that Razali tried his best as soon as he arrived here. But I will have to ask people, only now, whether he was effective. I didn?t know about it properly. For those who were in prisons, we were thrown around emotionally with three things: "Mr. Razali is coming. Mr. Razali is here. Mr. Razali is gone"? Ko Moe Aye: Did you hear about the Dipeyin incident where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?s convoy was attacked? Min Ko Naing: Dipeyin? At the time?What is Dipeyin? Is it Dipeyin where Maung Yit who was to become Maha Bandoola?s place? Are they going to erect a statue of Maung Yit or the Commander Maha Bandoola? We must have thought like that. How could we find out about that? I have to ask people only now when I am outside. That was my situation. Ko Moe Aye: As far as we know you have not only been sacrificing yourself for politics, it is also known that you are a very talented artist.

For example, you composed some Thingyan "thankgyat" responses. How did you feel during Thingyan periods? Min Ko Naing: Whenever Thingyan time arrived, I remembered "thangyat" and "thangyat" performance. I had to console myself by thinking about the times I watched these performance, and I remembered a performance about "Thingyan thangyat". A group of thangyat chanters enter a "mandat" tent. The audiences filled the tent to the left and right of the stage. In front of the stage are the judges for thangyat chanting competition. The car is parked behind the stage. Then, a well-dressed person climbs out of the car and went onto the stage. He wears traditional Burmese royal clothes including the jacket, ?pusoe? sarong and turban made of silk, corduroy and the like. He limbs up the stage from the back. The judges are very impressed by the fact that someone was wearing proper traditional clothes and watched him with great interest. All are watching him with silence and awe. What is he going to do? As he enters the stage from the back, the people from the back of the stage giggle. He turns his head and looks at the people with a face that seems to say "what are you laughing at". The more he inches towards the front of the stage, more audiences from the sides of the stage roar with laughter. And he keeps on staring at people with puzzled face. The situation is like that. And the judges in front of the stage also could not understand why the audience from both sides of the stage are roaring with laughter. They could not understand. He looks at the people on the sides of the stage with this puzzled and almost angry face. The audience on the sides of the stage roar again with laughter. The judges could not understand but kept on watching. That person, without saying goodbye, with a face that says "I won?t compete with this audience" turns around to descend the stage from where he came from. Only then, do the judges in front the stage know the reason why. The reason is ? there is nothing on his back and he only prepared for the front. Only when that person?s gone, they start the competition. I was thinking of it and smiling to myself. During Thingyan festival times, I was wondering whether it was a traditional joke from time immemorial or not, and whiled away my time in prison. Ko Moe Aye: As far as we know you were released because the authorities say that they want to compensate for the unfair deeds of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIN). They also abolished the NIB. The people who arrested you were also the intelligence people. What is your view on this? Min Ko Naing: According to their statement, they are trying to do

things as closely as possible to the truth. Therefore, in order to do things as gently, as truthfully and as logically as possible, they issued the statement as such. Therefore, people who are released with this are close to the truth and released honestly and it is good. I want to say that the release was a good one. Democratic Voice of Burma Author: Democratic Voice of Burma - Date: 11.22.2004 - Hits: 1545