Rangoon today

Moving on, Moving on

I grew up in Rangoon and later I went to college and finally ended up with an editorial job at the Guardian Daily. We left our native town called Taunggyi and moved to Keng Tung, a town in Southern Shan State in 1956. Then I was in 4th Grade at a missionary school. Following two years we again moved to Rangoon. My father's main reason to choose the largest city of Burma as our final settlement is to get good education for his children. All the children went to good schools for learning and they also enjoyed good lives as Rangoon is the place where everything was modernized and updated. And another important thing is our family need not go to Rangoon for pilgrimage to Shwedagon Pagoda once a year. It was a long way to get to Rangoon from Shan State and one must take airway if he or she wants to visit Rangoon. After we moved to Rangoon we can take a bus to get to the great pagoda. It takes only a few minutes. Then, Shwedagon Pagoda was crowded with people. But today under the boots of military ruler Shwedagon Pagoda is not a religious place like before. Now you can see informers and intelligence men lurking at all corners on the platform of the pagoda. Sometimes the authorities would close down the pagoda without giving any reason and that nobody can go up for their regular work of religion. Even this peaceful religious place has been controlled and restricted by the military regime and freedom of religion has been disappeared along with the freedom of speech and writing. In 50s Burma was richer than other south east asian countries until the mily. took over power in 1962 Since then Rangoon has become the killing grounds. In the campus, in downtown and suburbs of Rangoon have been turned into killing fields where thousands of students, monks and people were crushed down as they demanded for democracy. The military clean up the bloodstain and bodies overnight but the spirit of the protestors still roaming the streets hitherto. The main road besides the Rangoon University still haunted by the spirits of the freedom fighters, according to some inhabitants who live near the campus. One night an elderly man who live in Hledan heard cries of students when he passed by Inya Lake. But he saw nothing. “Ayedawpon, aung yamyee. Doh aye, Doh aye”. These are the words that came into the man's ears, loud and clear and suddenly it disappeared. Once Inya Lake was a peaceful paradise for the university students and now it has become a haunted place.