Thawtar Swe - Their Land

To the Soviet Union

On Tuesday, the fourth week of September 1963, at about 8 p.m., I was sleeping in bed when May woke me up and told me that my older sister, Khin Myo Chit, and U Khin Maung Latt had arrived. I left the bedroom with a small frown. U Khin Maung Latt took the cigar out of his mouth that he always had.

"Is this guy sleeping early?"

“I drink at 5 pm, eat at 6 pm, and go to bed at 7 pm, Ko Lat. Now why are you waking me up?”

"I asked you to come..." "Who is it, what is it, where is it?"

"Let's go to the Pansodan Information Center, change your clothes and come with us. We'll find out what's going on when we get there."

At that time, the revolutionary government had just come to power and was planning to publish two English-Burmese workers' newspapers, and U Saw Oo was leading them and giving them newspaper training every night. U Khin Maung Latt and Daw Khin Myo Chit were both taking classes for the English workers' newspaper. I was about to drag one of the newspapers into my mind when I remembered it and got in the car and drove off...

“If my sister and brother ask me to work for the newspaper, I won’t do it. I don’t like it. My wife and I are not good at it either. What’s the point? I’m just trying to earn a living without doing any service. I don’t want to do anything else except being a writer.”

So they spoke softly and

"Aye...we have already secured it, what's the matter with you now? We don't know yet. We only came to pick you up because you said to go and pick it up."

So when we got to the information department, Thagadaw had already arrived. Then U Saw Oo told us that Thagadaw and I were going to the Soviet Union. I...

“When, what’s the matter, how long will we have to stay there?” U Saw Oo asked.

"Today is Tuesday, tomorrow is Thursday, and I have to go on a Russian Aeroflot plane that leaves on Friday. The matter is that the Writers' Union of the Soviet Union has invited two writers from Burma, and they have chosen you two. Well... I'll be there for four weeks, maybe a month."

When U Saw Oo interrupted, I was very clear.

“I can’t do it any other way, please choose another writer for me, U Saw Oo.”

He was surprised...

"Why can't you come?"

"One thing is, I have to fly out on Tuesday, Friday night, so I don't have any pants, a coat, or shoes to wear to the country. My feet, which have not been worn for a long time, are so swollen that I'm going to have to limp and limp in Moscow until I can buy some tomorrow."

“Two things, it will take a month there, and I am a person who can only earn a month’s food in Burma by writing for a month. If I don’t have a month in Burma, it will be difficult for my children and wife to earn a month’s food. So, choose someone else in my place, U Saw U Ya.”

He was thinking for a moment...

"It's hard, they've already decided for you."

"They decided without asking me. I'm sorry. They asked me to come here on Tuesday and Friday nights because we often travel around the world by plane?"

So he...

"Well... you're right."

"Oh... I never said no."

“Well... how can you do that?” U Saw Oo lowered the price. I thought for a moment and...

“One... I need to buy shoes and give myself time to practice. Two... I need 500 kyats to buy clothes for myself, 500 kyats to feed my wife and children while I'm gone, and only then can I go to the Soviet Union, you guys.”

Do you think the above request will be granted? I didn't think so either. I made the request because I didn't want to go and couldn't.

But after three days, I heard that Thawta Swe's demands had been met. He would give me one thousand baht. The time was also postponed to the last week of August. In addition, not only Thagdo and I, but also Min Shin had joined, making us three.

Well... Then, "I don't want to go, so I can't stay?" came to mind, and I remembered Michael saying...

I really don't want to go abroad. I haven't mentioned one big reason why I don't want to go. After all, when I go to another country, I have to hear and speak English. I don't think I know enough English to be able to communicate with foreigners. I'm not fluent. That's my biggest flaw. It's just scaring me.

Therefore 

We went to the Soviet embassy during the month of our preparations and met their officials. We had lunch together and became friends. They asked us what we wanted when we got to Moscow. It was my first time meeting the Russians, so I didn't say anything.

The last time we met at the Soviet-Burmese Friendship Association building on Pyay Road, I asked the chairman, Mr. Danilo, what was on my mind.

When Mr. Danilo, in his usual English, asked, "How can he help me?" I had to respond in the best English I could.

“Mr. Danilo, right now you and I are speaking English, which is not our native language. So since we are not used to each other and the pronunciation is different, I try to listen to what you say. And you listen to what I say. So when I come to Moscow, I would like to have an interpreter who speaks Burmese. Is that possible?”

He is cool.

"I will try"

Those who help

When the news broke that we were going to the Soviet Union, along with the date, Aung Bala (then owner of the newspaper, U Thaung, editor-in-chief) told me...

"Do you have pants and a shirt?" he asked.

I said, "Huh... where is it?"

“So take one from me.”

At that time, Aung Bala was a traveler and he must have had many clothes. During this time, as he grew older, his body became fatter and he no longer fit.

I had to give up a pair of clothes because they were too big for me, so I sewed them up and it was fine. Then my brother gave me a coat, and from Ko Pe Thein, I got a pair of trousers, and two coats, which were not “gifts.” I had only one pair of trousers and three, but that was enough clothes for the trip. My brother also gave me shoes. We were all brothers. In addition to the one thousand that the government gave me, Moe Kok Ko Tin Maung gave me another thousand, saying, “You will need money when you travel.”

Message and gift 

At that time, we had the Myanmar Writers' Association. According to tradition, we had to send a message and some kind of gift from the Myanmar Writers' Association to the Soviet Union Writers' Association.

When we went to the president of our writers' association about this issue...

"In this case, the Writers' Association is not responsible for anything because they did what they wanted without informing the Writers' Association," he said.

Therefore, the Writers' Association will no longer be able to receive messages. However, there must be something that is worthy of a gift.

Myanmar Harp

Thank you. Movie actor Ko Tun Wai.

We talked to him and he took away the large Burmese harp that was hanging in his house. It was very beautiful. The harp is also a beautiful piece of ancient Burmese art. It currently sits proudly in the library of the Moscow Writers' Association.

Thazin is no longer here. 

Thazin Ma Thin Naing in Russia. "The idea of ​​Thazin Ma Thin appearing on the stage is only for Burmese actress Hlaing Theik Khaung Tin. It is impossible for Russian actress Natasha."

Because we took a big harp from Ko Tun Wai’s house and on the way back we went to the house of former minister of the P-S-P-L, Thakin Chit Maung (Myan Aung). Thakin Chit Maung was not there. In the garden in front of his house, he saw a round-shaped wooden shed and a tree branch about the length of a tree trunk, with coconut husks and young plants growing around it. Thakin said to Thakin Chit Maung’s wife, “Tell Thakin Chit Maung that I took it so he could give it to me,” and he took it off the tree that was hanging loosely on the branch.

However, when they later decided to take this item, they would not be allowed to take it on the plane. Since the items would have to be mixed with other items in the plane's overhead compartment, the delicate flowers would have been destroyed. And since the Russian climate was not good for this plant, they did not take it and left it at my house, which made my wife very happy. U Chit Maung is no more. I think it was our good deed. It didn't last even a year. It died.

Passport and visa 

A passport is a permit to leave your country, and it is issued by our Myanmar Foreign Office.

A visa is a permit to enter and stay in another country, issued by the embassy of the respective country.

Since the Soviet Union and East Germany were both socialist countries, we were allowed to visit the Soviet Union for three weeks and then go to East Germany for the remaining week. So, before we left, we got visas from the Russian embassy and from the East German embassy.