| Page 3 of 3 < |
Burmese Refugees Recall How the Protests Evolved
SOURCE: | By Richard Furno, The Washington Post - October 26, 2007 TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The next day, Ashin Kovida got on a bus with other monks, looking for a place clear of government troops to start marching. As they were making their way to Sule Pagoda, a friend called to tell him to avoid Sule; government forces were again shooting people.
He headed back to his monastery, but he and the other monks were afraid that it was only a matter of time before soldiers raided it, too. Ashin Kovida found a hiding place, where he stayed until Oct. 12. He heard that police had his photo and were hunting him. The government newspaper published his name in a list of 20 monk leaders who were "making the country unstable."
"It was getting worse and worse," he said. "But I didn't know where to go. I didn't have any connection outside of Burma."
After fleeing his safe house Oct. 12, Ashin Kovida found a new place and started preparing to leave the country. He dyed his hair, exchanged his robe for a longyi and obtained a fake ID.
The next morning, he crossed into Thailand by boat and hired a motorbike to take him to Mae Sot. Later, he was somewhat amused to learn that he had been cheated by the driver, who charged him double the usual rate.
Ashin Kovida is not sure what he will do next. He knows he wants to keep working in the movement for democracy in Burma. He knows he wants to remain a monk.
He worries about the woman he calls his adoptive mother and her two daughters, ages 5 and 10. He does not know what happened to them, but said, "Because of me, she was arrested."
Of the 15 monks who were part of his leadership group, he has heard that eight have been arrested and six are in hiding. The government is still trying to find him. On Oct. 18, the junta's newspaper published an article linking Ashin Kovida to the discovery of a small stash of TNT.
"Because the monks' peaceful demonstrations got international support and the support of the people of Burma, the government does not know how to take more actions against the monks," he said. "So they are trying to say monks are going to use violence. If they take action against the monks without telling a story, it's not good in the international community."
