Unforgettable Saffron Revolution: A Memoir of a Leading Monk Ashin Htavara

Minthonnya’ Preface for Ashin Htavara’s
Memoir on the event of
Saffron Revolution
I was requested to write a preface for the book of “Days on the event of Saffron Revolution” in his conflation of articles published in “Journal of Modern Youth’s Notes”. I felt delighted to know that it would spread throughout within and outside Myanmar as a book.
No one can deny that the political trend turned as an impact of that revolution or, event. Almost all the citizens of Myanmar find it hard to believe that the military regime leaders are preserving Buddhism, even though they are building pagodas, erecting Buddha images and offering to the monk and approaching to the monk community in various ways. A Shameful thing occurred in 2007, in Myanmar, the military government oppressing monks and men as its enemies in public.
Capture, death and runaway after that historic event, opposing to the military dictatorship had been witnessed all over the world!
Twice beating to those who searched to escape from the Special Police were suffered, saying “that’s your price for our hard work!”
Some monks had suffered physical and mental disabilities from their investigation camps. Raiding monasteries and uprooted search were made across the country.
After seizing, one of my friend, Ashin Pyinnyathiri made himself a suicide running to the brick wall with his head, but failed by catching by a policeman, he had no proof of physical torture, but got a great mental suffering.
Such monk activists of my friend, involving in the revolution as Ashin Gambira, Ashin Pyinnyan Thiri, Ashin Kaythara (Khaymeinda), Ashin Aubatha and so on were captured in Myanmar, and finally ran away to Mesok, Thailand.
His image then, could be seen with a hand speaker as a leading monk in many media. While I was safe in Thailand, I sought for his news and himself. In prison list, he was absent. Absent from our investigation. At Last, I was afraid that he was dead in or out of prison.
In fact, he was escaped to Bangladesh and then to India, Where he performed political and social works for Myanmar, Supporting local and abroad youths who were taking part in such work. I met him in Norway and discussed about the future potentials in Myanmar.
If Ashin Htavara had been in prison, or suffered some kinds of mental handicaps, he cannot this memoir, I think. He was now travelling throughout the word to support our local citizens in any way.
“Our people, our citizen, may be free from the feed of the military dictatorship” is his motto and his practice in his life. His experience, I believe, can fulfill the modern history of Myanmar in which how monks participated for freedom humans.

Minthonnya (Buddha Takkatho)