Aung Thin - When he broke into the prison

When the prison was broken

Aung Thin

It was around October 1949. At that time, the colored rebels were still in power in central Burma, and Pyay, Aung Lan, Taung Dwin, Magway, Natmauk, and Myo Thit were areas designated as liberated areas.

It is not uncommon for the mixed-race rebels to capture and detain officials, politicians, businessmen, and government employees who are not compatible with them in every region they occupy and send them to prisons that are pleasantly decorated with “security camps.” The prisoners of such mixed-race rebels include politicians, district police chiefs, district police chiefs, police assistants, teachers, and even royal officials.

There are all kinds of people in the prison, just like the colorful prisoners. There are those who always pray to the Buddha with a rosary in their hands, those who drink the alcohol brought in day and night with the guards, those who study literature, those who spend their days playing cards, those who completely accept Marx's materialism and criticize even Gautama, and those who study astrology and practice the art of gemology.

We have about 100 prisoners in Thayet Prison. When these prisoners were first arrested, they were in Magway Prison. When the government troops seized Yenangyaung and it looked like they were going to attack Magway, we were sent to Taungdwin Prison. After spending about a month in Taungdwin Prison, we were sent back to Pyay Prison.

In the "Pyy" prison, there are probably about 500 prisoners from Upper Burma and from the Tharyawaddy region of Lower Burma. I don't know the exact number. Since everyone is gathered in the "Pyy" prison, the prisoners often laugh and say, "We are the real Union."

After spending about a month in Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, more than 100 people were sent to Thayet Hluttaw, and we also came with them.

At that time, the chief of Thayet Prison was A. Krishna, and the prison guards were U Tun Win, U Maung Gyi, etc. He even asked the government employees to continue to work with him. Although the prison staff were assigned to work inside the prison, they had to keep their comrades with guns on the main gate and towers. It didn't seem like they really trusted the prison staff.

We give the prisoners one kyat per day. The prisoners cook together with their friends. There are 10 to 17 people in a group. Of the kyats that the colored people give, two kyats are for firewood and two for the men who clean the sewage, so they only get one kyat each. We save that one kyat and cook our own food and our own favorite dishes.

In the morning, the shopping team arrived. The potters ordered their own food and their own list. When the shopping team returned at about 9 o'clock, they took their own food with them. The people in charge of the meal cooked the food and had it served at about 10:30 or 11 o'clock. As for dinner, since the food was already too much for the morning meal, they cooked it at about 4 o'clock and had it served at about 5 o'clock. After eating, they walked around and talked for a while, and at 6 o'clock the prison was closed. The prison was a large building with large iron gates and bars. The prison was closed at 6 o'clock at night and the lock was locked and it was opened at 6 o'clock in the morning.

It has been mentioned that each potter's group consists of 10 to 17 people. In these groups, they have to divide their responsibilities among themselves, such as those in charge of drinking water, water for drinking, sanitation, the cooking board, etc. Our group is the largest, with 17 people, including politicians from Taungdwin, Natmauk, and Minbu.

Bo Tain Maung (now a politician in Pyinmana, Lewe), Bo Aung Kyi (who was killed near Takiyi as a military personnel company commander) and the three of us were in charge of our pot-making team. We were in charge of all the drinking water, cooking water, and bathing water. We filled the water in a brick tank near the well. The well was about 18 feet deep, and the three of us spent about an hour in a sweat. After the water dried up, we had no more work to do. We just picked up the rice and ate it, and after eating, we just got up and left. The people in charge of the pot-making team took it away.

At that time, there was a cooking party at Minbu, Thakin Phoe Ba (Phasapala), and Ba Gyi Thit (Pamanyata). Thakin Phoe Ba was a friendly and easy-going person, so everyone was friendly. If the meal was not good, the other prisoners would joke and shout, “Hey boy, what did you cook today? Is it good?”

The people who came to the prison had been together for 7 months and were very close to each other. The political leaders and officials also lost their political pride and official spirit and sometimes were happy like children. The prison warden's two big cows were often let loose in the prison. One of them was very kind and rode it. One day, a military officer from Natmauk appeared (I think he was in the army now.) After putting the whole group on the cow, they gave alms to the animals. I still smile every time I think about it.

The great monk appeared on the ox, and about 20 people lined up in front of the ox to offer their offerings. Behind the ox, the now-named U Ba Sai, played the role of the great monk’s father (I don’t remember the great monk’s mother). Finally, the most powerful man was the one from the circle. The leader of the circle was Bo Tain Maung, and he played the flute. I sang and played the cymbals. Those who didn’t hear the music followed with hey-hey. Although he was a small flute, he was very handsome. The great monk sat on the ox with his back bent over, commanding.

This is a mix of unpleasant, joyful, sad, and happy moments. Sometimes, some of the prisoners are taken out and shot, so those who are not politically innocent are in a state of shock. But the young people who are enthusiastic are always looking for opportunities to escape from prison. I am one of those young people. Bo Tain Maung, Bo Aung Kyi, and the three of us are the closest, and we live in the same house and eat the same food.

In this incident, Bo Tain Maung and Bo Aung Kyi are the most important people, and I would like to introduce them to them. Bo Aung Kyi was a native of Ai Pauk Kone, Natmauk District, and had joined the army when he was a young man. At that time, he was about 24 years old, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, and had a strong body and had studied physical strength, so his skin was smooth and hard. In addition to his fair skin, he had a strong personality, a sharp gaze, and a brave man, as if written on his forehead. At the time of his arrest, he was arrested as a company commander of the Magway Military Police. At the same time as the Lewe Thu Pon, the Natmauk Thu Pon was also in charge of the military. He had a sharp chin on his nose, a slight protruding cheekbone, and a small mole on one eye. He always kept a neat appearance. When talking to people other than close friends, he is very blunt and blunt. He is also quick-tempered. When he gets angry, he can draw a knife or stick and cut and stab. He is very patient with close friends. He is easy to talk to and listen to when spoken to.

Bo Tain Maung was a slightly dark-skinned man. He was from the Taungpyin Yat caste in Taungdwingyi Township, and was my neighbor. He was about 28 years old at the time, and he had lived through various stages of life, and had experienced many things in the world, so he was very experienced.

He is a very intelligent person because of his natural ability to reflect on everything he experiences in life and the environment he lives in. He is a person who has been through both the wind and the storm, and his heart is full of courage. He is full of patience, self-control, and courage because of the teachings of reality, and especially he is a person who is worthy of imitation in socializing and earning the respect and love of others.

Bo Tain Maung did not even finish middle school. However, I think he is better than me in the way he approaches the world, analyzes it from different perspectives, and examines himself. His body is well-built. He wears neat clothes. He speaks softly. He is interested in everyone's affairs and asks questions. He has been fond of adventure since birth. If I had to describe Ko Tain Maung briefly, he would say that he entered the world of adventure and struggled as much as he could for the lower classes according to his life experience. He was serving as a political leader in the Magway District Military Service Battalion when he ended up in prison.

I am of the same birth as Ko Tain Maung. I am the tallest of the three. I am a little thin, so I can say that I look like a scoundrel. I am the youngest, about 22 years old. When I was arrested, I was the organizer of the Thayet District Socialist Party, along with Comrade Maung Maung Maung (now the Three-dimensional Film Journal). In intelligence, I was not as intelligent as Ko Tain Maung, and in courage, I was not as brave as Bo Aung Kyi, and I was the weakest of the three.

"It's not easy for us to escape from their hands without breaking into prison. Waiting for the government to come and fight is like waiting for it to come, you never know, it's like waiting for the government to come and fight, you never know, you never see the way."

Aung Kyi reported it. The three of us climbed to the top of the tower in the center of Thayet Taung to catch the evening breeze. The central tower, including the top, has five stories and is about 100 feet high. It is the beginning of the summer solstice and the north wind has begun to blow. From the tower, we could see people walking down the mountain after dinner, sitting on the lawn and chatting. The Mindon Road to the north of the prison was quiet enough to make us miss the outside world. We could also see a part of the Ayeyarwady River to the east. We could often see flocks of white herons flying in formation from the river. The wind was blowing hard.

Ko Tain Maung said

“What if the government comes and attacks, will they be free? What can they do if they keep taking us into the forest? If they don’t kill us because they are in trouble, then we should call it luck.” I said, “This is a place for the people, but we haven’t even taken the land yet. The government should focus on the land rather than the city of Tharek. If we wait for Tharek to be taken without even attacking important land, we will be like a Brahmin guarding a dog who offers us a thousand gold coins.”

“I’m also just looking for an opportunity to break out of prison. I’m just calm because I can’t think of anything,” Aung Kyi said, and Ko Tain Maung said,

“Before breaking through the prison, we should first think about jumping over the wall. We have also thought about jumping over the wall with a rope. We can’t find a way. Even the bricks that are stacked on the wall and not touching each other will collapse if they touch each other.” Thus, the three of them, who couldn’t hold back, couldn’t think, couldn’t think, couldn’t think, couldn’t think, thought together, thought together every day. Just like that, one day, Aung Kyi was filled with joy. Ko Tain Maung and I were taken by the hand and they followed us.

I will describe the location of the dormitories in Thayet Taung. If you look at the four dormitories from above, they look like a mosaic. The central tower is where the ceramic bowl is placed, and the four large dormitories that extend out from the tower at an angle are the “A” dormitory. The one that extends to the southwest is the “B”, the one to the northwest is the “C”, and the one to the northeast is the “D”. Of the four dormitories, ABCD, our dormitory is D.

Aung Kyi took us both to the southwest to the BX prison. The prison was damaged during the war, so the renovations had not yet been completed, and there were no prisoners. Each prison had two floors, an upper floor and a lower floor. The BX prison also had two floors, but only the roof was finished. The upper floor had not yet been laid, but had been built with steps. There were no stairs.