Burma Link | March 27, 2018

This story is an update to the first part of Daw Nan’s story, published as part of Burma Link’s “Protracted Displacement” longitudinal interview series. Daw Nan is a remarkably resilient and determined woman, who has lived through experiences of conflict, loss, and serving in the frontlines on special missions fighting the Burma Army. In this interview with Burma Link, Daw Nan discusses her life situation in the Karen village of Mu Aye Pu, where she recently relocated to from Thailand. Although Daw Nan no longer serves as a soldier, she has plans for helping the Karen revolution. This update interview was conducted in June 2017. 

READ PART 1 & 2: ‘Burmese Military Jet Followed Us and Tried to Shoot Us Down’: Daw Nan, Awarded KNLA Woman Soldier

The following story is part of Burma Link’s longitudinal interviewing project that provides a snapshot into lives of Burma’s displaced individuals. Over a period of about 18 months, Burma Link follows the lives of a few individuals in diverse protracted displacement situations along the Thailand-Burma border. Whilst the interviews provide an in depth look into these individuals’ lives, experiences, concerns and feelings, they are in no way intended to represent those of the larger displaced population. We selected these individuals based on diversity of age, gender, background, and current life situation as well as the likelihood of researchers’ long-term accessibility. The information also feeds into a research project “Protected rather than protracted-Strengthening refugees and peace” by a German independent non-profit organisation Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). BICC’s project started in January 2015 as a response to the challenges posed by the reintegration and local integration of displaced persons and their participation in peace processes. The project involves collecting data from seven regions: Southeast Asia, Middle East, Eastern Africa, Afghanistan/Iran/Pakistan, the Great Lakes region, Upper Guinea Coast, and Colombia/Ecuador. Read more about the BICC project here. Everyone taking part in the project interviews conducted by Burma Link was clearly explained about the projects and that their stories will be spread to local, national and international audiences as widely as possible. Everyone taking part was given the option to be anonymous and unidentified.

This interview series is meant to give more in depth understanding into the situation, concerns, and feelings of displaced persons about their lives on the borderline and the peace and political processes in Burma, and how they evolve and develop over this critical period of change. It should be emphasised that the series is a small snapshot into the lives of few individuals whose stories are not meant to represent the lives of others. The text has been edited and some parts have been omitted for flow and clarity. This interview, conducted in June 2017, is an update to the first part of Daw Nan’s story. 

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Part 3: Life in June 2017

Moving back to Mu Aye Pu: “We are Karen, so we should live together in harmony”

The situation is much better after moving to this side. Previously, I stayed on the other side, and I did not feel okay. I did not like to stay on that side because there are a lot of alcoholics, and many people are using drugs. The village on this side is okay. The reason is that all my neighbours are friends of mine. We have no problem. However, it is difficult for deal with the village on the other side. They do not understand us at all. We try to be friends with them, but they don’t want to be friends with us. Actually, on both sides we are Karen, so we should live together in harmony.

I have never gone back there

[Thai side] since moving here [two weeks ago]. I stay, eat and sleep here. We all stay here except my son. He stays on the other side and works there. [My husband] is staying here, but he goes and works in the village on the other side [almost every day].

Other villagers have not moved to the other side to Mu Aye Pu.

The reason is because there is not enough space for them to do plantation [in Mu Aye Pu], but I am not sure about the future. There is [only] a small space for plantation here.

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Working for the army again: “I also encourage some of my children to work for the Karen revolution”

I came here [Mu Aye Pu] recently for my duty, for women development. General Nerdah [son of General Bo Mya] invited me to come back and work with the Karen revolution. I came back and have been working until now. I decided to continue working for Karen revolution until I die. I also encourage some of my children to work for the Karen revolution if they are willing to do it.

I do not want to talk about my past experiences. Whenever I talk about it, it drives me to cry. I have had lot of experiences in my life.

I want young people to participate with the KNDO. I see that it is important to work together and develop the job that I am doing now. According a Karen proverb ‘we can break one stick; we can’t break a group of sticks.’ It means unity and working together is important. I am planning to find more young people to work with me especially some members of Karen Women Organization. I can train them about sewing machine like how to sew Karen military uniform.

The reason why I got this idea is because if we buy a uniform from a shop, it will cost a lot of money. One uniform is for 700 or 800 baht [USD 22], but it will cost less if we ourselves sew it. I have never done it before; I just tried to learn it. Actually, we are currently making not only the uniform but also other clothes. There are many of my co-workers who know how to make it. My daughter-in-law [who lives in Ha Hto Ko] also knows how to make it. There are 10 women who are working together with me currently. Some know how to weave, so they weave. They just do it when they have free time. And when foreigners come.

We do not [have weaving machines]. But we can buy threads from outside and weave it by ourselves [by hand]. We buy it [thread] from a shop. Actually, the ones [fabrics] we have now are just simple ones. If you would see ones made in my village you might like them more because they are decorated with many colours and styles. We have to make it [clothes] separately in many pieces. After that, I sew them together so it becomes one.

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Day to day living: “This house belongs to Karen Women Organization”

I just work with other people day by day. I work with the KNDO. The money that I get [from daily work] I use it to buy rice. [I make] 150 baht [USD 4.7] per day. It is not regular work. Sometimes there is work to do, but sometimes there is no work to do. When there is work, we do it and we get money. When there is no work, we just stay without doing anything, and we do not get money either.

Long time ago, Pu Bo Mya [General Bo Mya] said that we needed to work hard. We would get enough food if we worked hard. At that time, I worked really hard, I got plenty of rice. Unfortunately, the Burmese military came and burned down my rice store, so I got nothing back. I had no rice to eat; I also could not stay in my place anymore. Then, my family and I moved to Thailand. [Now] I stay and eat poorly like this day by day. I also get some rice from the organization [KNDO]. The things that I need, General Nerdah pays for me like food, medicine, and so on because I work for the organization. However, it [rice] is not adequate for my family, so I need to buy more of it. My son who has a job buys it, too.

After I moved here, and I started working with the KNDO, my food situation started getting better. I get one bag of rice and salt, yellow beans, cooking oil, and fish paste monthly from the General. I did not get this food ration when I was staying on that [Thai] side because I was a villager, and I did not work for the organization. At that time, I bought a bag of rice for 750 baht [USD 24]. After working with the organization, KNDO, I get a bag of rice ever single month. A bag of rice is not adequate for my whole family, but it is very helpful for me.

I had a lot of chickens previously. I had over 50 chickens. All of them died due to chicken disease. It happened two months ago, and all my chickens died.  I currently have none of them anymore. [The chickens could have been sold for] around 50 baht [USD 1.6] per kilo. Currently, I started raising new chickens again. I bought them from my neighbour. I bought them yesterday to raise them. There are two groups; there are 4 in one group, and 5 in one group. I have 9 chickens in total now. I also have a pig.

My house on that side [Ha Hto Ko] has paper [registration] including the number of the house. This house [in Mu Aye Pu] belongs to Karen Women Organization, and it is an office of the Karen Women Organization. I don’t need to pay anything. It was built last year. I think next year I need to build a new one.

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Family Situation: “I have contact with some of my relatives […] But it takes a lot of money”

They [my family] are quite okay. They do not have any regular work to get money, but they can go through it day by day. They do whatever daily work they get. There is no regular work or pay for them.

He [my husband] is the head of the village. He works in charcoal product, and he also works as a blacksmith. He sometimes goes to Baw Nor Hta monastery and works there as a volunteer. He previously did it [the daily work], but he is currently working with General Nerdah. My husband is getting old, and it is not okay for him to do this kind of job anymore.

[Now] he [son from the first marriage] is the one who works with me and stays on the other side of the village.

I have contact with some of my relatives [using a phone]. They live in Nor K’ Toe [hometown]. They have been staying there for a long time because their native village is Nor K’ Toe. But it takes a lot of money to contact each other on the phone from here to there.

I have a niece who is really good at sewing. If I get new sewing machines, I will ask her to come and work together with me.

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Health: “I just need money for my medicine”

In Mu Aye Pu, there is only one medical staff, a nurse for the KNDO. Medicine stocks depend heavily on donations, so villagers usually need to find other ways to get medicine.

My son does daily work, and he pays for my medicine price. There is no one [else] who helps me. I just ask money from General Nerdah whenever I need money to buy medicine. I go for medical check every six months. One injection of medicine is 280 baht.

It is because I have a disease. I have also got a cough. When I first went there, the doctors claimed that I have the TB disease. I went to Mae Tan to see a doctor and buy medicine. I need to go again to get medicine at the end of this month. However, I can’t go and buy it if I don’t have money. I need to take it twice a day [morning and evening]. It has been for one year. The doctor told me to keep on taking this medicine regularly.

I have no travelling document. [But] I have no problem with travelling [to Mae Tan]. I just need money for my medicine. I did not have [more] money when I went last time, so I just paid 40 baht [USD 1.26] [to pass through the police checkpoint]. They understood me because I had only 40 baht.

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Civil war: “We [Karen] have struggled for many years, but we have not reached our goal so far”

Daw Nan says there has not been a security or safety issue in the past few months. However, the conflict situation in Burma is dangerous and uncertain. Between August and October 2016, conflict between the DKBA splinter group and the Burma Army-aligned BGF (Border Guard Force) that took place near Mae Tha Wor, displaced 5,000-6,000 civilians. According to Daw Nan, around 5-6 families also fled to Ha Hto Ko at that time, and are still staying on the Thai side of the border.

They [displaced families] dare not return because they are afraid of the military.

Currently, the situation is fine, but I am not sure about the future and like the civil war. Hopefully, everything will go well in the future. I really want peace. I don’t want to see war anymore. I have faced civil war for a long time. I joined the Karen revolution when I was 18. I met General Bo Mya at the time. We have struggled for many years, but we have not reached our goal so far. When the KNU headquarters [Manerplaw] fell to the Burmese military [in 1994], the situation was really bad. Karen people were divided at that time. However, I could go through it step by step.

For me, freedom means we should have liberty in our country. Currently, I am getting older. If I were young, I would still be willing to fight against the Burmese military.

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Plans for the future: “Help us or find any kind of support for us to develop our community”

I want to continue with my current job like sewing the uniforms and clothes, and I also need more sewing machines. I am planning to expand it and find more workers. I have not discussed it with him [General Nerdah] yet. I have a plan to divide the workers. For example, those who can weave, they weave. Those who can sew, they sew. Moreover, I am planning to provide a training about sewing and weaving. Firstly, we will need sewing machines, some materials for sewing, and a trainer who can teach about sewing. We need to go gradually and find more friends who can support us.

We will build [a workshop] next year. We will use batteries and solar for electric power. We will need new solar panels and batteries. I will be very happy if … [I can get] one sewing machine and a pair of batteries and solar. We want to develop our lives, but we don’t have anything with us to do for development.

General Nerdah usually travels in many places in the world, and he talks about our situation so that other people will know more about us, but I don’t think people know this organization here [KNDO] yet. We have no support [from local communities, foreigners or international organizations].

If possible … help us or find any kind of support for us to develop our community.

Crossing between Thailand and Karen State with Mu Aye Pu on the right side.

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