N 124. Feelings I am an expat living in Chiengmai , Thailand. I had written about how I have come to live here in my blog N 117. I don’t expect to live here long, but only until the political situations in my country become settled and peace prevailed again. Until now I don’t see signs of improvement. It is still bleak and uncompromising.

 Hoping that the conditions become better or a turning point suddenly appear, we watch and listen to the news everyday and at any time. But the news until now are only making our hearts sink and hopes dwindling. Fightings between the dictator MAH’s Myanmar army and people’s army, which consisted ethnic armies of Kachin, Chin, Ta Ang, Rakhine, Karen, Wa and PDFs of Burma Proper are still continuing. Mostly these people’s army won over the Myanmar army, resulting in towns and cities and outposts fell into these opposition troops,where in some places, the forces are trying to establish their own rulings. 

 The costs of these fightings are high. Many soldiers of the Myanmar army lost their lives, so that the army is dwindling, that they are recruiting new soldiers by hook or by crook and by reviving the unlawful conscription law.Among men who are forced to go into the three months training, I think not even 1 percent want to join voluntarily. They know they surely would lose their lives ,when they were sent to the front. 

 many young men from the age group of 18 to 35are fleeing ,so as not to get conscripted.Many fled to the neighboring country of Thailand.There are also many who went to join the ethnic arms group and the PDFs.Only who cannot bribe the people in charge with packets of money ,and cannot go anywhere had gone to training camps,and upon finishing the three months training were sent to the front .Most of them met their deaths without compensation and their families not properly informed. 

 People living in the battle areas also are like living in hell. When Myanmar soldiers come to their villages, they would find fault like the villagers supporting PDFs and arrest them, rob them of all valuables, torch their houses and sometimes torture and kill them. Until now more than 100,000 homes,which were built with scrapings and sweat of the people had gone to ashes in their hands.People have to go into hiding where they think is safe, but without shelter and with little food. 

 Everyone in Myanmar cannot live in peace now.Those who have children within the age group of 18-35 are dreading when their children will get conscripted. Then another law or order , I don’t know clearly, said people within the age group of 35 to 65 must also get some training and protect their neighborhoods.This order also is detested by the people. Even without these laws people are having difficult times because the money they earn does not cover the cost of living due to inflation . Many are jobless and displaced people and refugees also cannot work but have to depend on aids. 

 The army which is being defeated in many fronts and losing many soldiers are now depending on its planes to bomb cities and villages which it had lost. Mostly they bomb places where there are no fightings, but only on villages and towns , and public places like hospitals and schools causing innocent people’s lives. Because of these bombings people from (like Lashio ) flocked to place like Taunggyi ,where there is no fighting yet, that the roads are crammed and the town has to bear the burden of refugees .Think about the difficulties the refugees would have in this rainy season. Some fled with nothing but only the clothes on their back. 

 The root cause of all these troubles and sufferings is Min Aung Hlaing , (who I think is envious of DASSK ) who is craving to become the president , that he confiscated power from the Democratic Government led by NLD. The people of Myanmar who had had met this kind of fate more than once ,did not stay quiet but took to the streets ,where they were quelled by the army with live ammunitions resulting in many deaths,arrests, thrown into prisons and tortured. Many young people joined the insurgent groups and got trained by them . And this is how the PDFs are born. 

 Fightings are still continuing. With the losing of towns and cities and outposts, the army has become so much weakened. The whole country is facing shortages of fuels and even basic goods like cooking oil, because there is no foreign currency and the situation is very bleak. But then the high position personnel of China came to the capital and offer to back MAH with an enormous amount of dollars. This ease the fuel problem of the moment and at the same time, MAH is also free to bomb towns and villages as much as he like. 

 Our country is not fortunate in having its neighbors. There is no country which will side with Myanmar people’s wishes.They prioritize their interests before the welfare of our country. China says that they won’t meddle in neighboring countries’ internal affairs,but everybody knows how much it is taking advantages over Myanmar. By economically and then politically. Maybe it is aiming to get the country under its power.The great power of India also is not a good neighbor. Although it doesn’t have many economical interest like China,it is making profits by selling arms and ammunition to the unlawful government of MAH. 

 As for Thailand it is the country which has to bear most of the brunt of Myanmar. Because our country’s economy is not really good before the coup, many people from Myanmar had gone to live and work in Thailand.But after MAH seized power and the conscription law revived many young men fled to Thailand by tens of thousands.These and the already there made the number of Myanmar people in Thailand enormous.Myanmar people working in Thailand do not have a prestigious life and are permitted to do only lowly jobs. The Thais who are afraid they will lose their livelihood to the Myanmars even tried to restrict these jobs.Myanmar immigrants cannot be a shop owner or even a helper in a food stall.On the other hand Thailand benefits because it can get workers at a cheaper price.

 But at present we are hearing that the laws concerning immigrants have become more lenient at the requests of some organizations. There is no doubt that everyone in Myanmar are looking forward to the day when the country will be free of dictators , when peace prevails, and the country back on its track towards a federal democracy state. Only then the misplaced people and everyone who had to left their home will come back to their respective places.Most people including me don’t want to live in this alien land forever,but would like to return to  our homes . Even if I were to die I prefer to die in my own country . The same will go to many others as well…… V