U Agga Nya Na, now 27 years old
joined the sangha at age 5. He moved to a monastery in Rangoon in 2001 to study
foreign languages and was fully ordained as a monk there. He is one of the
monks who expirienced the Saffron Revolution in 2007 first hand. After more
than 1 month in hiding he escaped to Thailand where he testified to a
delegation from the United States Congress and the Ambassador from the U.S.
Embassy in Bangkok about the violent crackdown by the military regime on the
peaceful protest.
He now lives in Utica, N.Y., and
continues campaigning across the United States for democracy and human rights
in Burma.
“My last dana, or gift, to my
countrymen while in Burma occurred in the summer of 2007. On August 15, about
nineteen years after the nationwide protests that resulted in my joining the
Sangha, fuel prices doubled. This increase affected most commodities as well
doubling the price of rice, and bus fares overnight. In response some students
marched in the streets in protest, and the military arrested them. Then we
heard that on September 5th five hundred monks in Pokko Ku, near Bagan, also
marched in the streets. We heard that soldiers beat them and some were
arrested.
On the morning of September 17th,
I learned through the foreign radio media that All Burma Monks Alliance, an
underground organization, were calling all Burmese monks to march in the
streets to peacefully protest the government demanding a decrease in commodity
prices, the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, an
apology to the monks who they tortured, and dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi. At
the beginning, there were only monks in the street. I had my exams that day so
could not join them until the second day. I was very excited to hear the news
and to have an opportunity to march with monks harmoniously. I arrived at
Shwedegon Paya at 9:30a.m. I had never seen so many monks gathered at one time
in one place, and felt proud to help. Students were also there to join and
support us. For about 30 minutes we prayed the metta sutta while the rain
started to fall. Before leaving, the lead monks requested that no one use
violence. The rain was coming down heavier as we started marching down to Sule
Paya holding our alm bowls upside down to protest the military giving us alms.
We felt that for what they have done to their people, they should not be
allowed to make merit and wipe their crimes away. As we marched we chanted,
“May all people be free, free from fear.” “Free Aung San Suu Kyi.” “Do Ay Yay –
Our Cause.”
It took us thirty five minutes to
reach Sule. Sule sits in the center of Rangoon in the middle of a roundabout
with four street entrances. It is generally bustling with local people and full
of merchants. On this day the streets surrounding the pagoda were a sea of
saffron robes, with students walking beside us. Others who were not marching
stood on their balconies or in doorways and cheered. The sight of so many monks
in the streets encouraged many people. At Sule, some of the monks and students
gave speeches. At first, the monks did not want the students to join because
they were worried that the students would be arrested, but the students asked
to join us. After Sule, we continued marching throughout the streets of
Rangoon. We did this for about 5 days.
On September 22nd, we got a
chance to march by Aung San Suu Kyi’s house. I was so surprised on this day. I
had heard that we would go, but thought it was just a rumor. Then when we
headed toward her house, I expected the military would not allow us. Most of
the monks did not expect it. But some of the monks negotiated and the soldiers
let us pass. While confused by their actions, it was the most wonderful day for
me. I got to see The Lady in person for the first time in my entire life. I had
heard so much about her, how she promoted democracy in 1988, and was elected in
1990. But, because she has been under house arrest, I have never seen her
outside. So when I marched by her house with the other monks and students,
supporting all that she has worked for, she came out to pay respect to all of
us. I was so happy to see her face and to pray for her.
On the 23rd, I heard on the radio
at the monastery before I left in the morning that the All Burma Monks issued a
statement to the foreign media asking them to join us. However, this day when
we attempted to walk by Aung San Suu Kyi’s house again, the military forbad us
from passing. Their numbers by her house increased and they had put up more
blockades. Instead, we marched elsewhere. The next day, many civilians joined
us, more than on the other days. On the 25th, the military imposed a curfew.
They announced the curfew on the state run television and urged people not to go
out and march. Then at night, the military trucks went around Rangoon yelling
reminders through a loudspeaker to remember that there is a law that no more
than five people may gather at any given time or place.
When I arrived to Shwedagon Paya
on September 26th, there were soldiers already there. They told us that they
have orders to shoot anyone who marches. They asked, “Will you go back to your
monasteries or go to prison?” We responded that we will not go, that we came to
pray and march peacefully without violence. It was very tense and everyone
expected something to happen. The leader of the monks tried to negotiate with
the security soldiers to not use the violence. The rest of us squatted down in
front of the soldiers to pray, but could not talk to them. Then the soldiers
started trying to disperse us by throwing tear gas. I ran to Kandawgyi Lake.
Others were with me. My face felt hot. People gave us water and then we
gathered again and split into two groups. One larger group went to Western
Rangoon and my group continued our march down Anawrattha Street to Sule. I
heard that some monks had been injured, beaten, and arrested. When we arrived
at Sule, the soldiers were there standing with guns blocking all the streets.
They shot up at the buildings in a threatening manner, but there were over one
thousand five hundred of us so we just continued to march past the soldiers and
down another street. We continued marching until 6pm that night, chanting, “May
all beings living to the east. May all beings of the universe be free, free
from fear, free from all distress, free from poverty. May they have peace in
their hearts.”
The next day we heard from other
monks that the soldiers raided my friend’s monastery around midnight. We heard
that they beat and arrested many of the monks. I tried to go to see my friend,
to see if he was okay, but as I approached his monastery I saw that it was
still surrounded by soldiers. When I saw them I was really worried for my
friend, and sad for all the monks there. I felt sad for our country. We are a
Buddhist country and the military rulers should not raid monasteries and arrest
these monks who are revered by the people. I knew that the military leaders are
not really Buddhist, but in namesake only. They just want to keep a hold on
their power by pretending to be Buddhist to appeal to the people. If they were
really Buddhist, they would not harm the monks. I felt that even under British
rule, the rulers were not as brutal as this military and did not raid the
monasteries.
To this day I have not seen my
friend, and do not know what happened to him. When I returned to my monastery
we discussed what we would do, how we would run if the soldiers came. It was a
day of fear. We talked to students around the monastery and asked them to keep
watch for us, and to let us know as soon as they see soldiers. Later in the
day, some students who had continued protesting that day came and told us of
the days events. I was surprised to hear that monks were still marching. They
told us that people were shot and beaten when they marched, and that one
foreign journalist had been shot dead.
That night, some civilians saw
the soldiers coming and informed us to run away and hide. I quickly changed out
of my robes to a longyi and a shirt that friends gave me and hid in the bushes
near the monastery. It was a full moon, and I could see the soldiers
patrolling. Some of the other monks hid in the trees or in the ceiling boards.
Eventually the soldiers left as they could not find anyone, but we stayed in
hiding all night. It was drizzling on and off. I just stayed in the bushes
sitting, quiet. There were many moths, and leeches, but I did not realize it
until the morning when I was bleeding and there were still leeches connected to
me. In the morning I went to hide in a civilian house near the bus station. I
could not sleep, as I felt that I needed to be alert. I heard from others that
the military continued raiding monasteries at midnight every night.
After two days, I realized that I
was not safe. I was also worried about the people in whose houses I was
staying. I didn’t want them to come to harm for helping me. A had a friend in a
small monastery in Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State, and a friend bought me a
bus ticket so that I could go there. I took the bus, still in my civilian
clothes. When I arrived to Hpa-an, I changed back to my robes. I stayed there
hiding in a village monastery for one month waiting for the situation to get
better, but it didn’t. The military continued to raid monasteries especially those
in Rangoon. I finally decided to go to Thailand, and I left in a bus by myself.
It was November 4, 2007 when I
arrived in Mae Sot, Thailand. I took a bus from the border crossing to the
market. From there, I found a Thai monastery and explained my situation to the
monks there and they let me stay. There were already some Burmese monks there
who suggested that I change into orange robes while in Thailand. Some Burmese
political activists who came to visit those monks also suggested that I go the
UNHCR Office in Mae Sot for a refugee slip. After I got my refugee status, the
activists from the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party,
took me to live in a house with them and about three other monks who had fled.
After about one month, there were many more monks, and we established a Saffron
Revolution Monk Group.
We found other monks who had fled
and lived together in one place. By the end of December there were about ten of
us, and later more and more came. Eventually we were thirty monks. Others fled
to Bangladesh or India, remained in Burma, or had been beaten and arrested.
While living in the house, two ladies who were working with a human rights
organization came and interviewed with me.
After living there for about two
months, the two ladies asked if I would be interested in testifying to a
delegation from the United States Congress and the Ambassador from the U.S.
Embassy in Bangkok about what happened in Rangoon. I chose two other important
monks who had witnessed a lot during the marches and we testified to about
twelve representatives who were trying to investigate what happened. After we
testified, an Official from the Embassy offered for us to live in the United
States. At first it was only the three of us who testified, but later all the
monks were invited. My two friends left in March 2008 but I could not come
right away as I had to take medicine for tuberculosis.
I sent a message to my parents
through monks in Rangoon that I was leaving, and I arrived to the United States
on January 28, 2009. Of all of my friends who entered into the monastery with
me back 1988, I am the only one who has not changed to civilian life. Now I
hear that there are still many restrictions on the sangha in Burma.
I feel sad for the monks who are
still there. We live freely and they have problems. Although the situation for
the sangha is not like before, our protests were successful. After 2007, the
international community is more aware about the brutality of the Burmese
military regime. I am happy to speak out and raise awareness. When in Burma we
could not talk freely. As long as I am alive I will struggle for freedom and
justice in Burma wherever I am and however I can.
