with honour...

[maung@xxxxxxxxxxx]

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	--- One Eyewitness Account of the 8888 Massacre ---

On August 8, 1988, a typical summer day in Burma - hot and humid. Despite
this heart-burning weather, the Shwegondine street (near the Great
Shwedagon pagoda) was packed with protesters and on-lookers; the other
parts of the city and the whole nation were crowded with protesters, who
were calling for democracy, freedom and justice. Students' flags, colorful
banners of different associations and organizations were flying high in
the air.  The crowds did their best to keep things in order and marching
peacefully.  On their way to the Shwegondine intersection, fully equipped
combat-forces were deployed to keep the crowds from bursting in. 

The General Aung San's portrait in his hands, Ko Naing walked at the front
of the crowds. He saw the riot police were barricading the Intersection
with heavy barbed wires. The crowds were very cautious in the face of this
strange alarm. The commander of the armed-forces spoke over a megaphone:
"This is warning! You all break up and return home!" People ignored it and
moved on. Ko Naing told a little girl next to him not to be afraid: "You
know they won't shoot straight."  He also told others, "If we don't start
any violence, they won't either."  While he was talking, his eyes captured
two armored-vehicles rumbling in, stopping a few feet away from the
crowds. Ko Naing said "I can't say how I looks, but the little girl looks
so pale."  She told Ko Naing that she was a basic middle (junior-high) 
high school student, wearing a school uniform: a white blouse and green
'htamein' (sarong). She was shouting along with the crowds;

		Down with the fascist!
		Down with the Socialist-military rule!
		Democracy and freedom shall be restored!
		The People power shall be victorious!

The armed-forces firmly barricaded the whole block, telling people to
break up. Their machine guns were pointing at the crowds, waiting for
their officer's command. Ko Naing and the crowds sang songs and cried
loud; 


		Soldiers are sons of people, not Ne Win's lackeies!
		Join us and we shall be victorious!
		The people shall be victorious!

Each group leader did his or her best to keep peace and order. The crowds
were totally under control, singing and making peace with the soldiers. 
However, it did not last long. At 2 p.m. Ko Naing said he had no idea what
made soldiers and riot police start shooting.  Ko Naing thought soldiers
were shooting into the air to frighten the crowds. Ko Naing said, "I also
thought they must be rubber-bullets." Every one lied down on the ground,
but kept waving their flags and banners in the air.  People screamed and
shouted at soldiers to stop firing. It didn't work - heavy gun-explosion,
crashing and crying followed. Holding General Aung San's picture so tight
in his hand, Ko Naing rushed to cover himself behind a vendor cart on the
side-walk. He could not say how many people were shot, but seeing people
falling one after another. Ko Naing said, "From my hiding place, I saw
many bloodied-bodies were scattering on the ground."  He remembered to
look for the little girl who was with him before. The whole area was
covered with thick smoke and horrible noise. Many people were lying in the
blood-pool. 

All of a sudden, he found the little girl, rushing out with a piece of
white cloth in her right hand. She was waving the cloth and trying to stop
the soldiers' firings. Ko Naing shouted loud telling her to cover herself.
But, it was too late. A round of machine guns rained on her, pushing her
back many feet away. She fell into a pool of blood, discoloring her white
shirt with blood. One guy and Ko Naing risked their lives to run out and
dragged her out of that area. After they laid her body behind the wall,
that guy ran out again to look for his little brother. The girl was not
older than fourteen years old. She was slim, tall and very pretty. Still
clenching the white cloth in her hand, she was trembling. Ko Naing said,
"with hard-breathing and clenched teeth, she muttered in the voice of
pain, 'I can't bear it, please tell my mom I love her and I fight for
freedom'." 

In the presence of tears in his eyes, Ko Naing continued, "I grabbed her
tiny cold hands so tight, trying to comfort her." A cold sweat trickled in
big drops of her face, she was suffering beyond endurance. The bullets had
passed between the ribs on her left side, piercing the skin and flesh. Ko
Naing tried to stop the bleeding as best, making a temporary bandage with
his head-band. Lifting her from the ground like a baby, Ko Naing laid her
on his laps carefully. She made an effort to raise her pretty face, which
was deadly pale. Ko Naing said, "In her eyes, which she lifted upon me, I
read unutterable pain."

She told Ko Naing to leave her and run for his life. Ko Naing noticed her
heartbeats became irregular. He didn't see a soul in sight for help.
Instead he heard heavy foot-steps coming behind him, and a sharp object
struck him across his back. He looked back - there were grinning soldiers. 
Ko Naing could feel she had gone. Nevertheless, he requested the officer
to send the girl to a hospital. Their response- the soldier kicked her out

of his laps. With a raging flame in his eyes, said Ko Naing, "You know I
lost my temper. I got up to grab the soldier. Before I reached him, I felt
pain in my head." An officer behind Ko Naing knocked him out with his
revolver.  Ko Naing woke up in the dark cell, filled with hundreds of
people. He was there, the infamous 'Insein' prison, for several months. 
"You know, brother.. see there mothers have been looking for their missing
children in Burma. I don't think the girl's family ever knows where she
had gone. Neither our parents."  He sipped tea and continued, "It's been
eleven years, but I am still seeing her in my dream, hearing her voice
'move on with our ultimate goals: freeing Burma from this brutal
government'."

This is an account told by a student who witnessed the 8888 massacre.
There are many more untold stories in people's hearts.

I salute all fallen heroes and freedom warriors - march on with high
spirits, the people shall be victorious!

Respectfully yours,
Zaw (Indiana)
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