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Both of my arms had been up in the
air for a long time and were getting very tired. I tried to lower
my arms a few inches but a soldier beat my left arm three or four
times.
'Keep your hand up!' one of the soldiers said.
The officer continued, 'Did you know that Min Ko Naing has been
manipulated by the Communist Party of Burma?'
'I know the mass of the students stand behind him,' I said, taking
a risk.
'This guy seems to be stubborn,' said the officer slowly and heavily.
Just then both my ankles were stabbed with something sharp and the
room became very quiet. I felt as if I were alone in the room. I
tried to spread my legs a bit more to shake the stick between my
feet and I heard the sound of something like a wooden stick drop
onto the concrete floor. Then I heard footsteps coming towards me
and someone hit me across the head. They continued to hit me about
the head and I lost count of how many times I was struck. The stick
was once again placed between my legs and someone told me not to
move.
I was thirsty, my lips were dry, my legs were in pain and my arms,
which had been up for a long time, were very tired. I can't explain
how much I was suffering at that moment. I shivered and shook, and
I wondered what had happened to my friend Myint Thu.
They asked me about my personal details. I couldn't remember how
many questions they asked nor how many hours passed. My mouth had
become so dry I could hardly speak any more.
'I can't be patient,' I shouted. 'I want to drink some water. I
want to sit down.'
I heard my interrogators laughing.
'Democracy is expensive, isn't it?' said the officer whose voice
was slow and heavy. 'Give him some water,' he ordered.
Then I heard a sound like someone saluting him and I thought the
officer had probably left the room. Someone took away the stick
from between my feet and the soldiers allowed me to lower both my
arms. My khaki hood was then lifted to my nose and a cup was brought
to my lips. I held the cup with both hands and began drinking crazily.
But the cup was empty. I felt so angry and humiliated, but I couldn't
speak or move.
'You must go back to your room,' one of the officers said.
I was carried by two soldiers back to my cell and the door was slammed
shut. Everything was quiet again. I stood in front of the mirror
and looked at myself. My face looked haggard and sunken like I hadn't
slept for a week. My lips were completely dry and my nose was stained
with blood. My head was also pounding like a huge hammer. I noticed
that my left arm was painful and the skin on both my ankles was
flayed and bleeding.
'Moe Aye, if you want a drink there's some water on the table,'
said a voice from outside.
I turned and looked at the table and there was an old Seven-Up can.
I picked up the can but it was only one-third full of water. I drank
it all in second, and didn't check whether the water was clean or
not. Although it wasn't much to drink, I felt mildly satisfied and
lay down on the wooden bed. However the bed was extremely uncomfortable.
The wooden base was terribly rough and uneven, and the bed was too
short for me and both of my legs dangled over the end and touched
the concrete floor.
So I sat down in the bed and leaned against the wall. I didn't know
what time it was. It was very quiet, I couldn't hear anything. Sometimes
I could faintly hear telephones ringing and the sound of someone
taking a shower. At the same time I didn't dare think about my friend
Myint Thu and what may have happened to him. I fell asleep for a
while and woke up when I heard someone knocking on the door. I immediately
put the khaki hood over my head and sat waiting in silence.
Two MIS soldiers came in and pushed me out of my cell. I was frightened
because I knew what I would have to face. I felt like someone who
had lost all hope. My whole body was numb.
I was forced to face a wall and my khaki hood was taken off. Initially
I couldn't see anything except the colour blue, and a few minutes
later I realised that a soldier in military uniform was shining
an electric light directly in my face. Beside me, I saw two large
men in blue sports suits. Another man was in military pants but
his upper body was naked and he was aiming a camera at me.
'Comb his hair a bit,' ordered the man with the camera.
When I lifted my hand to comb my hair, one of the two men in blue
suits reached over and roughly brushed my hair. The room was quite
big and the four walls were covered with blue curtains. There was
no furniture. They took to my cell. On the way I gathered my thoughts.
'I am on the side of truth,' I told myself, 'I don't need to worry
about anything.'
The door to my cell was slammed shut and once again I was able to
take off my hood. That was always the most pleasant time for me
and I will never forget that feeling of temporary freedom.
'Moe Aye,' said a voice from behind the mirror, 'if you want some
food there's a meal on the table.'
I looked at the table and I saw some rice on an aluminum plate,
some soup in a small aluminum cup and water in an old Seven-Up can.
These must have be put in my cell while they were taking photos
of me. That was my first meal since I was arrested, but I didn't
know whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner.
'What time is it?' I asked the mirror.
There was no answer. They did that on purpose. I then checked the
meal carefully. There was some fried watercress on the rice, the
soup had little pieces of gourd and the old Seven-Up can was half
full of water. I tasted the watercress. 'Oh, Shit!' it was extremely
salty. I tasted the soup and it was completely tasteless, just like
boiled water. I drank all the water and then I felt like a smoke.
'Hey, I want a smoke.'
'You're not allowed to smoke, the commander has ordered it,' said
a guard behind the mirror.
That guard should be commended for being so bloody obedient!' I
became more confident of myself and I asked again, 'I want to piss.'
Again there was no answer. That's when I remembered what they told
me when I was first arrived here.
'Knock, knock, knock,' I knocked three times on the door.
'What do you want?' the guard asked.
'I want to piss.'
'Put the hood on.'
A few second later I was taken out of my cell and we walked turning
left and right as before. Then I was stopped and asked a question
by someone who seemed to be standing in front of me.
'Moe Aye, didn't you go to Myadaung Monastery in Mandalay at the
end of last month and in the first week of this month?'
'Let me piss first,' I said.
'It won't take more than three minutes to answer,' he replied,'
and if you answer me correctly you can go and piss.'
Suddenly I was really angry, but I told myself to calm down.
'Yes,' I replied.
'Why did you go there? Which monks did you meet?'
'How could I have met the monks? So many of your soldiers guard
the area and I have no business to meet with any monks. My responsibility
was to the information department and to collect news, that's all.
'Have you ever met with a monk called Yewata2?' the officer asked.
'Never.'
'Did you write a report about what's been happening in Mandalay
and send it to someone?' he continued.
I didn't want to answer this question, and I knew that I had to
be careful in what I said.' I really want to piss,' I replied.
'After this question you can, alright?'
'I never wrote any report for anyone, except for my NLD township
office, that's all.'
'Did you ask students from the All Burma Basic Education Students'
Union to deliver this report in Rangoon?'
'Look, I really want to piss, shall I piss here?' I said angrily.
Someone spoke behind me, 'Let him go and piss.' Then I was forced
to walk as before, turning left and right many times.' Step up slowly,'
someone said. I stepped up two steps. 'Okay, turn left,' one of
them ordered. 'Make sure you piss directly into the pit, if not,
you'll be beaten.'
I didn't care what might happen to me and I pissed. I had nearly
finished when a guard shouted, 'Mother fucker! You're pissing everywhere!'
The guard then chopped his hand down on the back of my neck. I was
so angry I tried to take the hood off and hit back at him. Then
I heard footsteps. 'What's going on here?' someone asked. They then
hit me in the stomach and I noticed that my sarong was wet with
my urine. Now every time I piss, I remember that beating. I was
then forced to walk back again and I was taken to a room.
'Hands up! came the order.
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