LETTER FROM MYANMAR
With his shaved head and orange robe, which leaves one shoulder exposed, Ashin H. (Ashin means "venerable" in Burmese) is a committed monk. To help those in need and observe the tactical evolution of the "Myanmar's military coup" – the uprising against the military junta that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's government on February 1, 2021 – he travels around the "liberated" areas. In Kayah State (in the east of Myanmar), we followed him for several days on a discreet journey to Loikaw, the capital, where the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) is encircling the positions of the Myanmar Army, entrenched in its base.
Venerable H. was one of the leaders of the 2007 "Saffron Revolution," a protest movement by Buddhist monks against the previous military junta. After going into exile in Norway, he returned to devote himself to this new revolution, which brings together a multi-ethnic and multi-faith coalition of pro-democracy fighters.
The Myanmarese monk raises funds during tours around the world. He funds assistance for the disabled in the border areas between Myanmar and Thailand. The NUG, the underground resistance government that claims legitimacy from the one overthrown in 2021, has officially recognized him as a "partner for international support."
"I'm so happy I'm not eating alone," he told us, in a Karenni resistance command post, on a freezing night in late January. The young fighters had brought out a guitar and were singing popular songs from Myanmar. In Myanmar, a monk is a VIP, even in Christian lands like these mountains in the Karenni hinterland. He has to respect a certain etiquette. "In principle, I'm always made to eat alone, before the others," he said. In the run-down huts where we were staying, his aide-de-camp prepared the mats and swept the floor. They received him with deference, offered him fruit and provided him the best seat in the house.
In the evenings, Venerable H. is often the one who lights a candle – there is no electricity – on the little altars where an image of the Virgin Mary is positioned. A Muslim philanthropist from Myanmar, who has been living in Malaysia for 24 years where he runs his own business, joined us. He came to personally donate to the soldiers of the revolution and the refugees. My two traveling companions decided to buy a cow for the front-line fighters. In Demoso, the second largest town in Kayah state, prices have risen to $400. They have to get closer to Loikaw, where the front line is, to bring the price down – the risk premium. They found one for half the price.
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