20100321 Never take your freedom for granted: activist

Never take your freedom for granted: activist

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Mar 21, 2010, Page 3

Exiled Myanmar democracy activist Khin Ohmar gestures during an interview with the Taipei Times on March 7.
PHOTO: LOA IOK-SIN, TAIPEI TIMES

While enjoying political freedom, Taiwanese should not take it for granted and should be aware that they may lose it if they do not take the necessary measures to protect it, exiled Burmese democracy activist Khin Ohmar said.

In an interview with the Taipei Times on March 7, Ohmar reminded Taiwanese, who she considers to be Myanmar’s partners for democracy, of the importance of remaining vigilant.

Ohmar took part in student demonstrations against the Myanmar military junta in March 1988. She was also one of the key members who planned another wave of massive nationwide student protests in August the same year that ended in a bloody crackdown by the government.

By the end of 1988, an estimated 10,000 people — including protesters and soldiers — had been killed in conflicts following the uprising.

The demonstrations, which began on Aug. 8, 1988, later came to be known as the “8888 Popular Uprising.”

Many of the people who planned and took part in the demonstrations fled the country, but Ohmar and some others stayed in the country, hoping to find other opportunities to launch another uprising to overthrow the military government. They failed, however, and finally crossed the border into Thailand at the end of the year.

“We took a month to organize [another wave of demonstrations], but we failed,” she said. “We were chased down by intelligence agencies, we couldn’t go home and we couldn’t find any people who would accept us.”

From Thailand, Ohmar continues to promote democracy in Myanmar and is now a member of the Burma Partnership, an organization which aims to coordinate international efforts for democracy in her home country.

In 1988, Ohmar was a 19-year-old chemistry student at the Rangoon Arts and Science University — later renamed Yangon University — who had never been involved or had much interest in politics before, other than occasionally complaining about a few unfair regulations at school.

March 16, 1988, was the day Ohmar’s life changed completely.

She took part in a demonstration organized by students from a number of nearby universities ­after several students at the Yangon Technological University were arrested and detained without questioning for clashing with young people from the neighborhood — people who happened to be the children of government officials.

She joined the action because she believed the detention of students without due process was an injustice.

At the demonstration, more terrible scenes awaited her.

“We were blocked at one end [of a street] by the army, and on the other side, riot police cars were coming,” she said. “When students negotiated with the soldiers, the riot police had already started beating people.”

She fled with others, only to see more students being beaten and dragged into cars by police.

Horrified and angered because she could not understand why the authorities were acting so violently toward unarmed students who were marching peacefully, Ohmar was determined to fight for justice.

“I made up my mind that day to do everything for justice,” she said.

To avoid further demonstrations, the military government closed down universities in Yangon from March to June and ordered all students to go back to their hometowns. However, students used the opportunity to spread the news across the country, Ohmar said.

In June, when schools reopened, students again took to the streets to demand the release of those arrested during the March demonstrations.

“Originally, we only thought about getting the students back to school. But then, when we realized our action had the support of the general public, we started thinking about ending the one-party system.”

Although the 8888 Popular Uprising failed, it took many months to plan by the student activists

Since Taiwan and China share a common language, Ohmar hopes that Taiwanese can help the people of Myanmar in their struggle for freedom by sending a message to China urging them to stop supporting the military regime in Myanmar both financially and militarily.

She said that the military regime’s iron-fist rule has led to the formation of armed resistance groups, especially among ethnic minorities in Myanmar’s border areas.

Chaotic situations in these areas have already facilitated the movement of drugs, illegal immigrant workers and refugees across the border into China’s Yunnan Province.

If the authoritarian rule continues, the situation will only deteriorate and if an all-out civil war breaks out in Myanmar, China’s border security would be seriously threatened.

Despite living in exile for more than two decades, Ohmar never regretted her participation in the anti-government rallies; rather, she regrets that she wasn’t politically aware enough before.

“I wish I had been more politically active earlier in my life,” she told the Taipei Times. “If we had been more cautious about what was to come, we could have taken preventive measures.”

Based on her personal ­experiences, Ohmar is urging Taiwanese to be more cautious about their hard-earned democracy.

Even though Taiwan enjoys freedom and democracy, its people should tread carefully, especially since China still claims it as part of its territory and is trying to tempt it with its economic power, she said.

“Gaining freedom for Taiwan is not free. It’s very important you don’t take it for granted. If you take it for granted there’s a chance you’ll lose it. And when you lose it, it’s difficult to get it back, especially when you’re facing an enemy with power and money,” she said.

Ohmar said that while most ordinary people seem to care more about economics than politics, everything would actually come down to politics in the end.

“Without political freedoms, we would lose economic freedom and prosperity,” she said. “It’s like a bird in a golden cage. You’re fed with good food everyday, but you’re a bird, you want to fly.”