DREAMING AND REALIZING THE DREAM
AUNG DIN
March 12, 2005
2005 Annual Burma's Human Rights Day Event
Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar Street (at Bonita), in Berkeley, California
Organized by the Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA); and co-sponsored by The Global Fund For Women of San Francisco, the Berkeley Unitarian Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee, the Burmese American Women's Alliance (BAWA) and the Political Prisoner Supporting Committee of the West Coast Burma Pro-Democracy Conference
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking the Burmese American Democratic Alliance and The Global Fund For Women of San Francisco, the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee, the Burmese American Women's Alliance (BAWA) and the Political Prisoner Supporting Committee of the West Coast Burma Pro-Democracy Conference for organizing and sponsoring this remarkable event. I also would like to thank all of you for being here today. I am very honored to be here with you all.
Seventeen years ago, on March 13, 1988, my fellow students Phone Maw was killed by the police during a student protest at the Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT), which was only engineering school in Burma at that time and what we called "RIT" in short form. I was a final year mechanical Engineering student and few months away from my graduation.
I was at D Hall, one of six hostels for male students, when I heard noises coming from the main entrance of the school. I put down my books and ran to the main entrance to find out what was happening. What I saw was very ugly. My fellow students were inside the compound, shouting slogans that denounced the police and authorities for their injustice and unfairness. On the other side of the concrete wall that divide the main street and the school, police were kneeling on the street, aiming their guns at the students, ready to shoot. It was a very ugly scene indeed, unarmed students were confronting with well-armed police. Within a minute, I was among my fellow students, shouting the slogans at the police with enormous anger.
A few minutes later, two fire engines came to the scene. We were sprayed by the water cannon. At first, the speed of water was not strong, so that some students were dancing and making the police angry. Later, small materials were dropping around us. At first we thought these were canned milk, but suddenly we realized that these were smoke bombs. Dark smoke covered the air, and we could not see each other. Then we heard very loud noises, something like thunder, many times. Police shot at the students, who were immobilized by the pressure of water cannon and darkness of the smoke. We ran disorderly back into the main building.
When we were at the main building, we checked each other. Many of us were injured, some by falling on concrete floor, some were temporarily blinded due to the smoke, and some sustained gun shot wound. Among them, three students, Phone Maw, Myint Oo and Soe Naing were in critical condition. I have never seen people with so much blood before, except in the movies. It was the first time in my life that I saw wounded persons, who were lying on the floor, motionless. Some said that they were already dead and some disagreed. Our professors came and arranged a car and brought them to the hospital immediately. Later, we learned that Phone Maw was already dead and Soe Naing died five days later at the hospital. He was treated as an accused and put at the prisoner ward in the Rangoon General Hospital. He was chained with his bed even in his critical condition till the day he died.
When the government’s radio, television and newspaper announced that incident, it was mentioned as a group fight between the RIT students and the commoners. The government’s media even reported that the commoners killed Phone Maw during the fight. These false press announcements instigated the fury of students from all Universities and Colleges. To protest the unfair treatment by the government, all University students gathered inside their school campus and held the anti-government strikes, demanding for justice and reformation of the student unions to protect the student rights.
At Rangoon University, a student strike was held to support to denounce the government. On March 16, Rangoon University students decided to march to RIT to join with RIT students. They left from the campus in a peaceful and orderly manner. When they reached the main road, the massive riot police blocked the road with barbed wires, armored cars and fire engines.
The riot police, with angry face and bloodthirsty manner were ready to attack the students. They even shouted at the students, saying “stupid students, trouble makers", and used some dirty words. Student leader Min Ko Naing and some students approached the riot police and requested that they open the road. But all the requests made by the students were in vane. Within a few seconds, all the riot police ran into the students and beat them with their batons mercilessly. Many students were beaten to death on the spot. Some students collapsed to the ground and were kicked by the police. Some police stole the students’ personal belongings, such as gold chains, rings, watches, during the rampage.
Students were running in panic without knowing where they were going. Some students were trapped between the riot police and Inya Lake, next to Rangoon University and famous for it’s panoramic scenery. Students collapsed into the lake when the riot polices ran after them and beat them continuously. There were so many bodies floating in the lake that the water of Inya Lake turned red. Cries of the defenseless students and the angry and blood thirsty shouting of riot police echoed above Inya Lake, once a chosen place for lovers and the most beautiful symbol of Rangoon University. Plenty of slippers, school bags and books without owners left on the road.
One year later, in March 1989, we planned to hold an event making the one year anniversary of March 13 at the RIT campus. We also decided to name this day "Anti-Dictatorship Day of Burma". Later, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi called us to her residence and presented her idea to name this day "Human Rights Day of Burma". After serious discussion, we all agreed to call March 13 "Human Rights Day of Burma" as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has suggested.
March 13, 1988 is a day to remember. It was a day that the university students were killed by the authorities. It was a day that ignited the nationwide popular uprising calling for democracy, human rights and an end of single party dictatorship. It was a day that sent a strong signal to then dictator General Ne Win to withdraw from his single party dictatorship. I really appreciate the leaders and members of the BADA and San Francisco Bay Area activists for remembering this day.
Now, let me tell you about the title of my presentation. A few weeks ago, I was busy with preparation for our second annual conference. We entitled the conference "Burma: Realizing the Dream". Actually, it was quoted from a part of one of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's speeches. She said "In a country like ours, which is totally crushed by a military regime, justice is a dream. But it is a dream that we are determined to realize." Yes, we are determined to realize the dream, which is freedom, justice and democracy in Burma. We are working to realize the dream. That's why; when Ko Nyunt Than called me and asked me to give the title of my presentation, I quickly answered that the title was "Dreaming and Realizing the Dream".
You might be Bill Gates, the world richest person in the world, in your dream. You might be the President of the United States, the most powerful person in the world in your dream. You might be falling in love with the most beautiful man or woman in your dream. You might be receiving Noble Peace Prize in your dream. No. No. No. I don't mean any of these dreams.
The dream I mean is something that you wish for your family, for your society, for your country, for future generations and for your own people. Martin Luther King had a dream to make his people have equal rights in the United States. Bogyoke Aung San had a dream to make Burma free from the British Colonial rule. Nelson Mandela had a dream to abolish Apartheid and White minority rule in South Africa. And they were not just dreaming, they made their dreams come true.
When I was young, I saw my father disappeared from home many times. Sometimes, he disappeared for a week, sometimes two weeks; once he was away from home for nearly two years. When he came back home, he was weak and unhealthy and needed many months to recover. He was taken by the authorities for interrogation. He was tortured by his interrogators and kept in the solitary confinement. Before I realized what was happening, I cried together with my mother when my father was taken. When I realized that my father was taken by the authorities for the reason that he had possible contacts with the outlaw communist party, I stopped crying. I consoled my mother and waited for the day when my father would be back. I always wished that nobody would come and take my father again. My mother wished the same as well. But, we knew that wishing something and crying out loud could not be helpful. We were helpless and vulnerable.
When we look at the day that Phone Maw was killed by the police, it was obvious that no one or no organization had helped to defend the students. General Ne Win's government simply put the blame on the students. We had a wish that we had the right to defend students mistreated by the authorities. We wanted the opportunity to complain about the authorities for their misconduct, unfairness and injustice toward the ordinary citizens in Burma. We knew that wishes never come true without actions. We quickly organized nationwide student protests calling for freedom, democracy and justice. We joined together with the people from all walks of live and challenged the authorities peacefully. We were working to realize the dream. We ended the single party rule in Burma in 1988 and paved the way for multi-parties democracy.
Our dream is simple, reasonable and appropriate. We want to live in peace. We want to live in a safe and secure environment. We want to be free from fear. We want to have the freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of association, freedom to choose the government we want. We want to have justice which is above everybody. Of course, realizing that kind of dream is not a simple job. It comes with enormous difficulties and requires the huge amount of sacrifices that we have paid for seventeen years and we are still paying for.
Since 1988, as many as ten thousand peaceful demonstrators were killed by the brutal military; thousands of Burmese people were forced to flee the country and became the refugees in the neighboring countries; hundreds of ethnic women and girls were raped by the soldiers; between 600,000 and one million people became internal displaced persons and the target of soldier in the free fire zones; I could not count the number of broken families and the lives being destroyed by the military dictators. Currently, more than one thousand and three hundred activists are being incarcerated. What does that mean? We have not reached the dream yet.
When I was in prison, especially at the time I was tortured severely, I had a belief that my colleagues, my comrades, who share this dream with me would continue to work for the dream, and I would be free when we realized the dream. We all have a common dream. We all are working to realize this dream. With people who are determined to realize the dream, our dream will come true sooner. And then we will be free. I am sure that over 1,300 political prisoners including our leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, have a belief that their friends, their colleagues, their people, people like you all in this room will continue to make the dream come true. They knew that we are not dreaming. They believe that we are working to realize the dream.
Now, I am here to appeal to all of you to make the dream come true together. As the courageous people of Burma are taking a risk everyday, confronting with the brutal regime to reach their dream, we, people outside the country are also responsible to help them realize the dream. Let's work together to make this dream come true.
If you look at the situation carefully, you will know that the days of the military regime are numbered. Generals in Rangoon are eating their own flesh. Once, they proudly said that their unity in the military is solid and nobody could crack it. But, today, they are cracking themselves. Power struggle, mistrust and competition for lucrative business opportunities among the Generals are growing day by day.
On the other hand, the frustration and disappointment of the international community is also growing. Even some friendly governments of the regime, such as Singapore and Malaysia, began to speak openly about losing patience with the regime and their concern about gradually deteriorating relation with the United States and the European Union over Burma. Let me put it this way, the international community is mounting the pressure against the military regime. The United States has imposed comprehensive sanctions since 2003. The European Union is also increasing its measures against the military junta. ASEAN nations are also putting a lot of heat on the regime concerning the possibility of US and EU' boycott on the summit and ministerial meetings in 2006, when the regime will hold the ASEAN chairmanship. The United Nations has already announced that it would not recognize the results of the regime's national convention for undemocratic and inconclusive manners. There are many attempts in the United Nations to put Burma on the UN Security Council.
As you all are in the United States, the most powerful country in the world and the country of freedom loving people, you are surrounded by the people who are the most able persons to help Burma's democracy movement. Please contact the members of Congress in your state and district and make some requests.
First, it is important for Burma's democracy movement that the US maintains its current level of pressure against the regime. The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 is going to be resubmitted to the Congress in April for Congressional review and extension of another year. Senators McConnell and Feinstein in the Senate, Congressmen Tom Lantos and Peter King in the House are beginning to prepare to reintroduce this one in the Congress. Please call your members of Congress, urge them to co-sponsor and support this legislation when it comes to the floor.
Second, the US Congress adopted legislation last year, calling on the UN Security Council to address the Burma issue. Since this is the will of the US Congress, please urge your members of Congress to push the Bush administration to raise Burma at the UN Security Council at every opportunity. You should also urge members of Congress to join with other Parliamentarians around the world, especially the European Parliament and ASEAN Parliamentarian Caucus, to put pressure on ASEAN as a whole for the suspension of Burma from its Chairmanship in 2006.
Third, even though US Congress allocates money for Burma's democracy movement every year, there is no fund for IDPs (Internal Displaced Persons) in Eastern Burma until now. These IDPs are the most vulnerable and helpless and need emergency assistance from the international community. Between 600,000 and one millions Ethnic nationalities are being displaced inside Eastern Burma and killed by the soldiers day after day. We need to urge the US Congress to allocate a significant amount of money for the organizations that are assisting the IDPs by crossing the border.
Let me also explain one of the campaigns we are undertaking worldwide. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be sixty years old on June 19, 2005, which is three months away from now. She is an icon of democracy, unique leader of Burma's democracy movement and the only imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate in the world. Like many people did a few years ago in 1988 on Nelson Mandela's seventieth year birthday, we are planning to hold worldwide events on this day to honor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, all political prisoners and the courageous people of Burma. We are planning to hold 60 House Arrest parties nationwide. We request you to arrest yourself for one day at your home on that day. On that day, you can invite your friends to come and see you at home. You can show the video documentaries and other materials about Burma, and you all can share the moment together. You should ask the visitors to donate some money to help our activities. You can invite your members of Congress from your district and state. They might come or they might send their staff to your house arrest party. So far, we have 25 people who have pledged to hold a house arrest party on June 19, 2005 and I hope you all will join us. You can contact to me for more information and planning.
Well, like I said, we are not dreaming. The journey to the dream might be very long; it might be full with dangers; it might be an ocean of fire. But, we will never ever give up. We will not make our friends in prison disappointed. We will not make the souls of our friends who sacrificed their lives for this dream disappointed. We are working to realize the dream and we will reach the dream that we want soon, by working together with you all. Let's make our dream come true together.
Thank you.
Aung Din
