Do you really love your nation?

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

Do you really love your nation?

I left New Tokyo International Airport for London, England, by ANA airlines'
NH 201 flight on 11 October 1988. I learned that representatives of 18 nations
including Japan, England and the United States plus the United Nations, the
World Bank and European Commission would be discussing Myanmar and I set out
for England with the expectation to express my personal experience about
Myanmar Naing-Ngan from which I had just returned. Since I was not a
government representative I did not get the opportunity to attend that
meeting. I was on my way to England in a hurry after learning that I would be
allowed to meet the representatives outside the meeting hall.

	I arrived in London later in the evening. I checked into a downtown hotel of
London. The meeting was scheduled to be held at Lenham Village in Kent
District, one hour's train ride from London. I did not know how to get there.
So, I rang Ma Ma, a friend of mine in London and requested her favour. She was
pleased to help me. She said she would come to my hotel in the morning and
take me to the venue of the meeting hall.

	The following morning, we set out for Lenham. On the train, I told her about
the meeting that though I was on my way to the meeting I was worried. She
looked at me and replied, "I also went to Myanmar last year for a brief visit.
The people were more interested in earning their livelihood with peace of mind
than in the question which government would come to power. I was unhappy about
a lack of water and electricity. I thought then that the government was
responsible for solving the problems of the people and fulfilling their
wishes: But it would be helpful to the people and the government if those in
the public, especially those residing  in foreign nations like you, Mya Mya
Win, could help find solutions. You's better persuade those at this meeting
not to impose sanctions on humanitarian assistance to Myanmar. I'm very happy
to help people like you, Mya Mya Win, who have come to a small village from
Japan which is miles and miles away from England."

	The programme of Myanmars inside and outside the country shouting the slogan,
"Fighting for democracy" is "to persuade other nations to put pressure on
Myanmar, to create difficulties for the people in meeting their basic needs 
by stopping economic and humanitarian assistance, then to incite the people to
rise against the government which will have to transfer power to others, and
then they will come to power". I do not fully understand if this programme or
policy is good or not. But there is one thing which I don't like. That is to
create difficulties for the people in meeting their basic needs. I, for one,
would like to help solve the problems of Myanmar people as much as possible.
Although a group of persons has branded me as an anti-democracy element and a
traitor, I was determined while I was in Myanmar to extend help as
much as possible since I had witnessed the aspirations and difficulties of the
people. 
I got an opportunity to relate my experiences about   prevailing objective
condition, genuine aspirations and difficulties of Myanmar people I had
witnessed to the representatives attending the meeting at Lenham Village. All
the government representatives attending the meeting were not the kind of
people who favoured putting pressure on Myanmar government, blocking aid and
stopping humanitarian assistance. I was so happy to learn that among the
government representatives were those who understood

	the genuine wishes and aspirations of our Myanmar people out of their
goodwill. I was so happy that tears welled up in my eyes. It is encouraging to
see that there are people who understand and realize our people of Myanmar.

	My anxiety did not die down even after the meeting which took place on the
12th and 13th. I had to make preparations for another meeting scheduled to
take place at Regent College in London on 15 October. The topic of that
meeting was Burma: Towards Transition? It was sponsored by the Christian Aid
organization and assisted by the Burma Action Group. The significance of the
meeting was that citizens from the Western nations constituted the vast
majority who were attending it. They were those from non-governmental
organizations, researchers and merchants interested in Myanmar Naing-Ngan. The
number of Myanmar citizens like mc who attended the meeting constituted a
small minority who could be counted on one's fingers. Although the meeting was
supposed to discuss and find solutions on laying down the programme and
adopting the policy concerning Myanmar's affairs, most of those present at the
meeting favoured the old method of putting pressure on Myanmar government and
imposing economic sanctions. We were given an opportunity to speak ten minutes
before the meeting was over. We said it would be smoother



and more appropriate to solve the problems of Myanmar by Myanmar people
themselves.

	I presented two factors at the meeting which I had known during my stay in
Myanmar. One-" There will be more smoothness only if Myanmar's affairs can be
solved among the Myanmar people"; Two- "The government has wish to cooperate
with NLD for the benefit of the nation if it stops confrontation and start
coordination". "I think that better results might have come out if foreign
nations would made demands not only on Myanmar government but also on NLD to
coordinate with the government." I presented my opinion and requested the
meeting to read the paper on "My experiences in Myanmar" as a reference. After
the meeting, a representative of a
foreign nation came to me and said, "I support your suggestion. I have the
same opinion. As you have used Myanmar language in presenting your opinions, I
felt like it has reiterated the fact that the current discussions are on
Myanmar's affairs and that it should be coordinated mainly by Myanmars." It
would be worth attending this meeting if even a single person had appreciated
and understood our opinion.

	After the  meeting, I went to the monastery of Sayadaw Dr U Yevatadhamma who
is residing in Birmingham. I also visited ' and paid obeisance to Kaba Aye
Pagoda, which was in  built by the


	Sayadaw in the suburb of Birmingham. It was so sublime. As BBC (Myanmar
Programme) requested for an interview, we accepted to hold it-in the pagoda
compound. We were interviewed by BBC (Myanmar Programme) for three times.

	In the evening on 17 October after we had completed our work, we visited a
Myanmar couple, who are my friends, in Brighton, a beach town. There was an
urgent phone call for me from Japan while I was thinking of going shopping and
an excursion in England the next morning. I learnt that unscrupulous persons
taking advantage of the it that the BAIJ Chairperson and the vice-chairman
were abroad away from the association were claiming unjustly that BAIJ was
their organization. BAIJ has become known in Myanmar, Japan and the world due
to
our continuous efforts and various means for ten years. There is a group of
persons in Japan who are often making attacks and insults on us personally and
on the association with various means. They are a group of persons who are
shouting that they are the ones who love the nation and the race most. They
have formed many organizations, taking the posts of chairman and secretary in
turn in all those bodies. It was said that these people held a meeting,
claiming that all the organizations in Japan were theirs and demanding to oust
Chairperson Daw Mya Mya Win and Vice-Chairman Maung Pan Hmwe so that BAIJ
would also be theirs. It was learnt at there were many persons who were not
known to be Myanmar citizens at the meeting. It was learnt that an unlawful
organization with the name BAIJ was formed at the meeting. I felt ashamed of
and disgusted with them, more than I felt worried about being misunderstood by
the people of Myanmar and Japan. We had tried for ten years together with
about 1,000 members for the existence of the association. I was also sad as
they dared to rob the fruits, claiming these fruits and flowers were theirs,
though their whereabouts were not known during the ten years. I arranged to
call; an emergency executive committee meeting by phone. Our executives who
are in Japan, Britain and Myanmar at that time made three resolutions.


	One-to change the name of BAIJ (genuine), which has been recognized be the UN
and the international community, to Myanmar Association in Japan (MAIJ) in
accord with the time and conditions as our nation has become Myanmar (not to
be mistaken by the unlawfully set up association); Two-to never create
confrontation with the Myanmar Government and the Japanese Government and to
conduct activities that will directly benefit the people of Myanmar and Japan
as a volunteer; Three - to launch movements concerning culture and friendship
of Myanmar and Japan. We made these resolutions adhering to peace and non-
destructive attitude. While thinking of the destructive acts that were
launched with egoism within the' single association, BAIJ, I remembered the
words of a State dignitary during I was in Myanmar.

	What he said was, "One can have dislike of the government. But please don't
destroy the nation just because of the dislike of the government alone. It is
required to definitely differentiate between the two sectors-the like and
dislike of the government and the love for the race."

	I like that view very much. We need to differentiate between the two sectors.
Thus, I would like to ask a question to the persons who are claiming that
those are their fruits, flowers and associations and the ones who think that
the government they like would emerge only if the people would get into
trouble.

	"Do they really love the race and the nation?"

(Translation: AT)