Saturday, January 24, 2009

Salai Ko Ko Oo

Back row (left to right: Ko Paing, Shwe Thwe, Ko Ko Oo, Thiha Shwe), Middle left: Win Aung, middle right:?, Front: facing back wearing white shirt: Theik Htoo Hlaing. Picture was taking near Sangkhlae, near Mon headquarter during Three Pagoda Pass battle.
Win Aung. He was collecting water from this little pound using a water bottle cap.
Ko Paing, Salai Ko Ko Oo (third from left with hand in his mouth), Thiha Shwe (left to Ko Oo) and Ko Shwe Thwe (left to Thiha Shwe). I could not see clearly who other guys were (if you know, please leave a note). Thike Htoo Hlaing (far right)
This picture was taken during Three Pagoda Pass battle. They were on the move to a new camp. Banana leaves were used as disposable plate for lunch.

Yin Htwe (Three Pagoda Pass)

Front: Yin Htwe. This was taken at Three Pagoda Pass during the attack. He was moving supplies. Yin Htwe went back inside for underground work. He was arrested and jailed for 10 years. He left for Thai-Burma border after he was released and now works at Burma Political Prisoners' Union based on the border.

Krain Kan group formation (Circa 1991)

This was taken at Krain Kan during the ceremony for our fallen members of 102 camp. I can only see Win Naing (tall white shirt in the middle) clearly.

Ko Toe in KyaInnSeikKyi front line (Circa 1989)

Ko Toe (blue shirt) and Saya Aye Min at 102 camp in "Japan Yae-Dwin village". Ko Toe later died in action at Arutoung village battle.

Ko Toe (in the middle with beret cap) at a meeting with Mon National Liberation Army leaders in KyaInnSeikKyi town ship.

Uzin Win Oo

Left to right: Theik Htoo Hlaing, Kyathit Maung Paing (killed in action), Win Aung, Shwe Thway, Ko Ko Naing, Uzin Win Oo, Thiha Shwe and Ye Lwin . This photo was taken at Pa-nan-Htaw monastry boat ramp after we moved from Three Pagoda Pass was fallen. We were preparing to attack Ye town. Kya-thit Mg Paing was killed in action later in Ye township. Win Oo is in monkhood now and resides in FortWayne, IN.

Anybody knows what happened to Theik Htoo Hlaing and Ye Lwin. I know Ko Ko Naing is in Maryland.

Ba Toe and Nyang Lin Aung

Ba Toe and Nyan Lin Aung. Nyan Lin Aung was killed in action in Aroutoung battle. Ba Toe resettled in Australia.

Khin Soe, Tin Tun, Aung Naing (Ka Yin Ma)


All three in the front row (left to right- Khin Soe, Tin Tun, Aung Naing-Ka Yin Ma) were not with us anymore. Khin Soe and Tin Tun were killed in action. Aung Naing died from unknown illness. We were marching to Three Pagoda Pass village to attend the first anniversary of 8.8.88 uprising.

ABSDF's led delegation to Denmark around 1999

This is ABSDF's led delegation to Denmark around 1999 for a study tour for Scandinavian government model.

Thapsake camp (South)

(right to left: Win Min, Ko Aung Thu Nyein, Ko Moe Thee and unknown visitors at Thapsake camp in 1994?) We moved to this area after the fall of Nat Ein Daung in 1992.

ABSDF -reunification conference

ABSDF reunification conference (1996)

New Mon State Party Chairman (NMSP) Nai Nolar

New Mon State Party chairman: Nai Nolar. He was giving a speech at 1st anniversary of 8.8.88 uprising. He collapsed and died at the stage. He was a very kind man and help a lot of students at Three Pagoda Pass.

Si Thu (ABSDF 204)

Funeral of Si Thu (ABSDF 204) killed in action at Manerplaw battle.

Mass meeting at KNU Brigade 6 area


Mass meeting at KNU Brigade area.

ABSDF fifth conference

Ko Aung Thu giving a speech at ABSDF 5th conference at a camp near MaeSariang.

Ko Thet

"This is me (Ko Thet) in Kan Ne village, 5 days after Aroutoung battle"

Ko Thet was from ABSDF 101 camp, our sister camp in Three Pagoda Pass. There were only 2 ABSDF battallions in Mon area, ABSDF 101 and 102. He resettled in Australia and finished a master degree and now works there.

"This photo was taken in front of Three Pagoda Pass in 2003 (not sure the year) I went back to Thailand and took time to drive there to see changes. Buildings behind the pagodas are Burmese military gates. What a change!! We used to hang around there those days in 1988-89.
Nam Kate village, where Mon headquarter was, was reclaimed by the jungle. I could not even remember where it was. The cinema was gone."

Ko Thet (101 group)

"This photo was taken on 1 Sept 1990 in Kan Ney village 5 days after Aruetoung battle.
Me, Ko Ye Tun Aung, Tin More, Aung Thu Nyine, TaYohtkyi ( not real anme)."
I believe Tin More was injured at the fight at Mon headquarter after fall of three pagoda.

Ko Thet (Ye township)

"It was taken on the beach, south of Ye town. The last person was Kyaw So, who died in action in Arutoung battle. The one in front of Kyaw So was Ne Myo.
It was around August 1990." 4 members of my camp (ABSDF 102) also died in that battle.

Ko Thet (ABSDF 101 clinic)


"This photo was taken in clinic at 101 near by Num Kate village at Three Pagoda Pass.
The first clinic ever build." I believe it is Ko Aung Thu Nyein. You can see all building were built by bamboo, thatch/palm leaves.

Ko Thet (Sin Ngo Taung)

"This is the photo of the mountain we all hated.
It was known with a number of names; Elephant crying mountain, abandoned son mountain, etc..
This draw the border between Thailand and Burma.
It took the whole day to get on top of the mountain. Water was available only on the top of the mountain."

Ko Thet and Ko Wai Lu

"(Ko Thet) This is me and Ko Way Lue, very early in 1990 in Three Pagoda pass, where logs were laid, it was just next to our camps."

Thursday, January 22, 2009

102 last office in Sangkhlaburi (Circa 1990-1991)

This was the remain of 102 office in Sangkhlaburi (Mon side). We moved to Nat Ein Daung.

Aung Tha Byae Village

This is one of the several villages built after Nat Ein Daung was occupied by Burmese army. Most of 102 members resettled there. Ko Phone Kyaw (far left-sitting). Again, this village was burnt down by Thai border police less than a year later. After this, 102 moved again to furthur south, Hua Hin region.


Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Yvonne

Yvonne presenting a gift to Mrs. Lindsey, chairwoman of the department.

Class presidents: Teresa and Frances

Class presidents: Teresa and Frances giving a speech at graduation.

Zaw Gyi and me


Zaw Gyi and me in front of his house in Chaing Mai (Circa 1996). Zaw Gyi, Ba Saw Tun (lives in Germany now), EC (lives in Fortwayne, IN), Ka Yin Ma Aung Naing (died: He was the youngest of us.) and me lived in Daw Lay's hosue in Three Pagoda Pass village for a several months. At that time, ABSDF battallions were not formally formed yet. We all were from Rangoon, met there and decided to share the house. Some of their friends and my friend who came with me decided to went back after a couple bouts of malaria. It was a cold place with a temperature around 50s without heater, warm cloths or enough blankets.

Mae Sot market


Me and Win Tun in Mae Sot market. Mae Sot is a border town located across the river from Burmese town of Myawaddy. A lot of Burmese both legal and illegal live in Mae Sot.

At Three Pagoda Pass mountain

left to right: Ko Shwe Thway (now in Norway), me and Ba Khet in Three Pagoda Pass. (Three pagoda mountain in the background.)

Sangkhla wooden bridge

(left to right: Ko Shwe Thway (resettles in Norway), me and Ko Yan Aung on the famous wooden bridge at Sankhlaburi. The bridge was built across the lake to connect Mon side and Thai side. It was built by a venerable abbot of Sangkhlaburi.

Chaingmai Visit 1996

Maneeloy Student Refugee Camp


This was a typical barrack style housing for refugees at Maneeloy camp. Each family got about 7 feet x 10 feet space. There was no walls in between families.

Graduation group photo

Tony, Jesse, Edith, me and Abdul

Fitz at a Karen refugee village

Fitz (wearing a scrub top) in a Karen refugee village. He was walking towards the camp clinic. Small huts in the background.

Engagement

This is our engagement photo in Freelance Star newspaper.

Our first apartment

Edith at our first apartment at 7 N Boulevard, Richmond, VA. (Circa:1994)

Daw Lay

(left to right: Ko Myo Aye, U Nyar( Daw Lay's husband) and Ko Chit Pwe: Circa 1989)
We stayed at this lady, Daw Lay's abandoned house in Three Pagoda Pass village.
This picture was taken in 1996 when I went back.

Mae Sot-Myawaddy (Burma) Friendship bridge


(left to right: Swan Myaing, me, Win Tun and Ba Saw on Thai-Burma friendship bridge.

Ko Thiri Nyunt and members from Workers College Student Union

Ko Thiri Nyunt and members from Workers College Student Union (Circa 1989). At that time, we were living in the Three Pagoda Pass village. The village was abandoned due to heavy fighting between Mon and Karen rebels. We just picked a livable building and stayed. There were still a lot of unexploded ordinance around there. We had to burn bushes in the surrounding areas first before we settled. Fire usually took care of those. We just had to make sure to stay away.

Ko Thiri Nyunt (Circa 1989)

Ko Thiri Nyunt. He was our 102 camp chairman at that time. He was a well known pop singer in Burma. He now lives in West-Virginia working as an IT specialist.

Training in Hway Kok

Training in Hway Kok. Jogging in the morning.