Saffron Revolution Anniversary – 260 monks still imprisoned

Today we commemorate the four-year anniversary of the Saffron Revolution. It has been four years since we, my friends in Burma and I, have seen each other. Before the Saffron Revolution we studied together, ate together, held meetings, spread pamphlets, and worked for freedom and democracy in our country. During the Saffron Revolution we walked in peace together. But now many of my friends are in prison.

We monks have never been used to hard labor. We learned by studying the Buddha’s teachings about how to meditate, and how to spread Dharma. We have never experienced hard labor. But now a lot of monks are suffering in labor camps and prisons.

U Gambira

One of my friends, U Gambira, is in jail. He has been sentenced to 63 years. He is a good and brave leader. He was the leader of the Sangha Young Monk Union in Rangoon. He worked hard and tried to connect with other groups who were working for freedom and democracy. He had been active since before the Saffron Revolution. The authorities were already searching for him before 2007. He had been using messengers and sent them to other people who were active and wanted to work for freedom and democracy together.

He worked very tirelessly. I remember when we first met, and he told me during a meeting in Rangoon, “I have to hide. The military regime is searching for me. I have to move to different places from time-to-time because the regime is following me.”

U Kheminda

Another friend of mine is U Kheminda. He was sentenced to 35 years in jail. He is a senior monk, older than me. In 1990 there was a ceremony to commemorate the 1988 uprising in Mandalay. During the 1988 uprising, students, monks, and ordinary people protested together. The military regime shot the people on the streets. In 1990, a big ceremony was held, and Burmese people wanted to give donations to 600 monks.

The military regime tried to stop this ceremony. They shot, beat, and tortured Monks on the streets. Many senior monks did not like the actions of the military and started a boycott. Cities like Mandalay, Rangoon, Sagaing, and Pegu followed the boycott. It spread all over the country. The military regime got very angry. Monks did not come to their houses anymore. The monks did not accept their offerings, and refused to be associated with the regime anymore. The regime tried to stop this boycott by sending monks to jail. Senior monks, famous monks, monks that were well-respected by the people—all sent to jail.

U Kheminda was very bravely working for this boycott at that time. He was caught and sent to jail for five years. After his release in 1995 he started working for democracy again right away. Later, we contacted him when we tried to build the Sangha Monks Union in Mandalay. U Kheminda participated in our group. He told all monks, “We need to offer our lives for our country. In 1990 I promised to devote my life for the freedom of our country, and I was sent to jail. Until now, I’m still devoted to that cause because the lives of our people are very poor. It doesn’t change, so we have to try to change our country’s system.”

Some monks were released after three years in very bad conditions after 1990. It was very difficult to endure the time in prison. They had been tortured. Even after this experience, U Kheminda continued his work for democracy. He tried to connect with other monks and people who were working in the same way.

My contact with him began in 2006. We came together in the Sangha Union in Mandalay. Together with U Khemnida, U Pannasiri, U Lin, me and many other friends. It was very, very difficult. If the military regime had known that we are participating in the Sangha Union, we could have been sent to jail for 30–40 years. So we formed this Sangha Union as an underground group. We worked and distributed our statements very secretly, preparing for the Saffron Revolution.

  

U Pannasiri

U Pannasiri was arrested, and later escaped from a labor camp in Chin State to New Dehli, India. After that we met online. He told me, “My friend, you should not live inside Burma. They will catch you.” I told him that I had to stay to continue my work, that it was very important.

After I had to leave Burma in 2008 and arrived in Mae Sot, I met U Pannasiri in person, and I asked him, “Why did you tell me at that time to leave the country?”

He said, “When I was in jail, they asked me questions about you, U Gambira, and U Lin. They beat and tortured me a lot. I was very worried for you. It is terrible in jail. People suffer a lot. They beat and torture all the time. I did not want to see you go to such a place.”

During his time in jail, he wanted to commit suicide. He tried to kill himself by hitting his head against the wall. He could not bear the torture anymore. This is why he was worried for me and why he wrote me to leave the country in 2007.

Now, it is the four-year anniversary of the Saffron Revolution. Over 260 monks and 7 nuns are still in prisons across Burma. They are not imprisoned for something they did, but for their own lives. What they did was for the people of our country. For the freedom of us all. All Burmese people have the responsibility to work for the freedom of all political prisoners, including our monks and nuns. We have to try to gain the release of all political prisoners and monks. We must try to demonstrate for that on the streets again.