Young Burmese Risking All to Fight Military Leaders
2021-11-18
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1Gue Gue used to be a travel guide in Mandalay, Myanmar, an ancient royal city that has moved quickly into the 21st century.
2Today, it has shiny new shopping centers, well-dressed students and popular eateries.
3Gue had never thought of herself as politically active.
4But that changed earlier this year.
5Myanmar's military seized power in a coup on February 1, overthrowing the civilian government.
6In the months that followed, hundreds of protesters were killed by troops on the streets.
7Now, Gue is in a hidden rebel training camp.
8The members of the resistance say they will fight the "final battle" against military rule.
9Today's generation of young people have grown up in a world of smartphones and greater political freedom, unlike their parents.
10They say they are ready to pay any price in order to overthrow a government that threatens to take them back to a dark past.
11On an April evening, Gue Gue secretly left her family home.
12A few weeks later, she was in a rebel training camp in the jungle.
13There, she had a medical emergency - her appendix was infected and had to be removed.
14The operation was carried out in a poorly equipped medical center without any medicine to take away the pain.
15She had to stay awake during the operation.
16Since the coup, Gue Gue had seen many of her generation killed by troops on the streets of her hometown as they called for democracy.
17There was hope that the international community would take action against the military's increasing violence.
18When no action was taken, thousands like Gue Gue decided the only choice was force.
19The army has been the most powerful institution in the country since it became an independent nation in 1948.
20The military has stood against popular uprisings and civil war for many years.
21That includes the 1988 uprising that led to the appearance of Aung San Suu Kyi as a human rights leader.
22The men and women rebelling against Myanmar's military say they will be the last generation to live under the control of the country's military.
23In the months since the February coup, university teachers, day laborers, technology workers, students, artists and others have become guerrilla fighters.
24The International Crisis Group reported in October that hundreds of armed groups have begun operating across the country.
25Many groups call themselves People's Defense Forces, or PDFs.
26Famous people and actors, wanted by the officials for supporting the protests, have appeared on social media holding guns.
27Tayzar San is a 32-year-old librarian.
28He and others like him have been hiding in cities, organizing secret demonstrations, sending money to striking workers and planning.
29He lives out of a backpack, moving from place to place.
30The government has offered a $5,600 reward for his capture.
31He has not seen his wife and daughter in many months.
32The junta has promised to hold elections within two years.
33Speaking in October, army chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said the junta was working on a plan to reach a "true union based on democracy and federalism."
34He said the leadership was working to "change the country peacefully."
35The country of 55 million people once seemed to be on its way to becoming Asia's newest semi-democratic nation.
36In the 70 years since it won independence from colonial Britain, it has had less than 25 years of civilian governance.
37Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned in her home for 15 years.
38She was freed to take part in elections and, in 2015, won.
39In the following years, Suu Kyi drew criticism for standing by the military as they carried out what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
40But Suu Kyi's government made some steps toward weakening military power and gaining foreign investment.
41The Myanmar kyat became Asia's best-performing money.
42The World Bank was predicting economic growth in the country even with the COVID-19 health crisis.
43That all came to an end in the early hours of February 1.
44Suu Kyi and her leadership were arrested.
45The junta declared a direct return to military rule.
46The rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP. says more than 1,200 people have since been killed in attacks by junta troops.
47Hundreds have also been killed by the resistance, according to the junta and local media reports.
48They say newly formed guerrilla groups have killed suspected informers and troops.
49The fighting spread across the country.
50Longtime activist Bo Kyi is a co-founder of the AAPP.
51He believes the junta can now be defeated.
52He said the young rebels have creative ideas and good political understanding.
53They are trying to unite the country's many ethnic groups.
54Smartphones and the internet have made it harder for the military to hide its actions.
55On social media, reports of acts of violence spread widely in minutes.
56Three days after the coup, Tayzar San and some friends gathered outside the medical university in Mandalay.
57They held signs that read "Protect democracy," "People's protest against military rule" and "Respect the people's votes."
58They left quickly, but minutes later police arrested four of the young men.
59Their actions helped set off a wave of protests around the country.
60Tayzar San left his family to keep them safe.
61He began to organize daily protests.
62On Facebook, he called on people to take to the streets:
63"Don't look for a leader, don't wait... All the people in the community, please come out."
64At home, his daughter has turned two years old and only sees him on television.
65In April, after the long bus ride from Mandalay, Gue Gue and her friends were led by their contacts to an old school in a village close to the jungle.
66One of them said Gue Gue was the first woman to go for the training there.
67"They told me that they don't accept women, because they haven't prepared anything," Gue Gue said.
68"'It will be so tiring,' they said. I told them: 'I don't care whether it is tiring. I must join.'"
69From there, they traveled to the training camp, and several more women arrived. Together, they built up the camp.
70Over the phone, Gue Gue said she now understands she had never done anything truly difficult in her life before.
71She said she "never dreamed" she would be living in the conditions she was in.
72After weeks of silence, Gue Gue sent a short message to Reuters reporters in early September.
73Her group had to move its camp because the military was coming their way.
74"I don't want the people to forget about the young people who are sacrificing their lives on the ground," Gue Gue said by phone.
75"We're still here."
76I'm Jill Robbins.
1Gue Gue used to be a travel guide in Mandalay, Myanmar, an ancient royal city that has moved quickly into the 21st century. Today, it has shiny new shopping centers, well-dressed students and popular eateries. 2Gue had never thought of herself as politically active. But that changed earlier this year. Myanmar's military seized power in a coup on February 1, overthrowing the civilian government. In the months that followed, hundreds of protesters were killed by troops on the streets. 3Now, Gue is in a hidden rebel training camp. 4The members of the resistance say they will fight the "final battle" against military rule. 5Today's generation of young people have grown up in a world of smartphones and greater political freedom, unlike their parents. They say they are ready to pay any price in order to overthrow a government that threatens to take them back to a dark past. 6On an April evening, Gue Gue secretly left her family home. A few weeks later, she was in a rebel training camp in the jungle. There, she had a medical emergency - her appendix was infected and had to be removed. The operation was carried out in a poorly equipped medical center without any medicine to take away the pain. She had to stay awake during the operation. 7Since the coup, Gue Gue had seen many of her generation killed by troops on the streets of her hometown as they called for democracy. There was hope that the international community would take action against the military's increasing violence. When no action was taken, thousands like Gue Gue decided the only choice was force. 8Two faces of the resistance 9The army has been the most powerful institution in the country since it became an independent nation in 1948. The military has stood against popular uprisings and civil war for many years. That includes the 1988 uprising that led to the appearance of Aung San Suu Kyi as a human rights leader. 10The men and women rebelling against Myanmar's military say they will be the last generation to live under the control of the country's military. In the months since the February coup, university teachers, day laborers, technology workers, students, artists and others have become guerrilla fighters. 11The International Crisis Group reported in October that hundreds of armed groups have begun operating across the country. Many groups call themselves People's Defense Forces, or PDFs. Famous people and actors, wanted by the officials for supporting the protests, have appeared on social media holding guns. 12Tayzar San is a 32-year-old librarian. He and others like him have been hiding in cities, organizing secret demonstrations, sending money to striking workers and planning. He lives out of a backpack, moving from place to place. The government has offered a $5,600 reward for his capture. He has not seen his wife and daughter in many months. 13The junta has promised to hold elections within two years. Speaking in October, army chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said the junta was working on a plan to reach a "true union based on democracy and federalism." He said the leadership was working to "change the country peacefully." 14The country of 55 million people once seemed to be on its way to becoming Asia's newest semi-democratic nation. In the 70 years since it won independence from colonial Britain, it has had less than 25 years of civilian governance. 15House arrest for Suu Kyi 16Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned in her home for 15 years. She was freed to take part in elections and, in 2015, won. In the following years, Suu Kyi drew criticism for standing by the military as they carried out what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority. 17But Suu Kyi's government made some steps toward weakening military power and gaining foreign investment. The Myanmar kyat became Asia's best-performing money. The World Bank was predicting economic growth in the country even with the COVID-19 health crisis. 18That all came to an end in the early hours of February 1. Suu Kyi and her leadership were arrested. The junta declared a direct return to military rule. 19The rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP. says more than 1,200 people have since been killed in attacks by junta troops. 20Hundreds have also been killed by the resistance, according to the junta and local media reports. They say newly formed guerrilla groups have killed suspected informers and troops. 21The fighting spread across the country. 22Longtime activist Bo Kyi is a co-founder of the AAPP. He believes the junta can now be defeated. He said the young rebels have creative ideas and good political understanding. They are trying to unite the country's many ethnic groups. Smartphones and the internet have made it harder for the military to hide its actions. On social media, reports of acts of violence spread widely in minutes. 23The librarian 24Three days after the coup, Tayzar San and some friends gathered outside the medical university in Mandalay. They held signs that read "Protect democracy," "People's protest against military rule" and "Respect the people's votes." They left quickly, but minutes later police arrested four of the young men. 25Their actions helped set off a wave of protests around the country. 26Tayzar San left his family to keep them safe. He began to organize daily protests. On Facebook, he called on people to take to the streets: "Don't look for a leader, don't wait... All the people in the community, please come out." 27At home, his daughter has turned two years old and only sees him on television. 28The jungle 29In April, after the long bus ride from Mandalay, Gue Gue and her friends were led by their contacts to an old school in a village close to the jungle. One of them said Gue Gue was the first woman to go for the training there. 30"They told me that they don't accept women, because they haven't prepared anything," Gue Gue said. "'It will be so tiring,' they said. I told them: 'I don't care whether it is tiring. I must join.'" 31From there, they traveled to the training camp, and several more women arrived. Together, they built up the camp. 32Over the phone, Gue Gue said she now understands she had never done anything truly difficult in her life before. She said she "never dreamed" she would be living in the conditions she was in. 33After weeks of silence, Gue Gue sent a short message to Reuters reporters in early September. Her group had to move its camp because the military was coming their way. 34"I don't want the people to forget about the young people who are sacrificing their lives on the ground," Gue Gue said by phone. "We're still here." 35I'm Jill Robbins. 36Poppy McPherson and Shoon Naing reported on this story for Reuters news service. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 37___________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39jungle - n. a tropical forest where plants and trees grow very thickly 40institution - n. an established organization 41uprising - n. a usually violent effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country 42reward - n. money or another kind of payment that is given or received for something that has been done or that is offered for something that might be done 43librarian - n. a person who works in a library (a place where many books are kept and may be borrowed) 44backpack - n. a bag for carrying things that has two shoulder straps and is carried on the back 45junta - n. a military group controlling a government after taking control of it by force 46according to - prep. as stated, reported, or recorded by (someone or something) 47infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly 48What do you think of the young Burmese who are fighting the military government? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.