Episode #230: “Unfortunately, in 2020, after the NLD won a landslide election, there was a military coup. And [then] the PDF resistance started. I took part in the resistance as I had years before, but there is a difference this time, too,” explains Nway.
Inspired by his mother, an active participant in politics since Ne Win's 1962 coup, Nway's involvement in the resistance included clandestine communication with Aung San Suu Kyi during her detention and risky efforts to deliver messages to imprisoned allies, among many other important tasks.
Despite the supposed democratic transition post-2010, Nway criticizes this period as superficial, with the 2008 Constitution maintaining military dominance. He rebuked international pressure for elections as a facade of democracy, emphasizing the need for genuine systemic change. The most recent coup escalated his activism, compelling his support for armed resistance and relocation to Mae Sot for safety. Nway also highlights the intricate relationship between Buddhism and politics in Myanmar, acknowledging the tension between nationalistic and progressive monks within the context of the country's struggle for democracy and the military's manipulation of religion to maintain power.
“If we win the revolution, the international community will see a very civilized society in Burma, which will be very active in promoting peace for the whole world,” Nway says in closing. “But if the junta wins, you will have a society which believes in the stone age. So, I would like to request of you, please understand the feeling of people of Burma! We left our country, we want to be like you, we want our kids to be like your kids, to go to school and also we want to sleep with our family like you want to sleep with your family. That is why we are trying to get rid of the military in our political system. This is not only for a party sake, not only for an ethnicity sake, it is for all the people of Burma and also the people of the world.”
This Woman’s Work
Looking Within A Burmese Nunnery
Depicting a Golden Kingdom
From Burma With Love
Revisiting the Burma Spring
Portrait of an Activist
Sitagu Sayadaw, The Coup, and Burmese Buddhism
The Fabric of Change: Feminism, Art, and Revolution
Artists Against Tyranny, Part 2
The Revolution's Roving Eye
Artists Against Tyranny
The Story of Magway
Bart Was Not Here
Dave Leduc: A champion stands with the people
Revolution As Art
The Side Effect of a Revolution
David Eubank: A Man of Faith and Action Fights for Burma
Courage Under Fire
How to Stop an Innovative Start-Up
Resiliency in the Face of Terror
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