RANGOON MYANMAR ALIN: "BELIEVING IN

[Winston_Lee@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: RANGOON MYANMAR ALIN: "BELIEVING IN OMENS"

Winston Lee@SHI
03/18/97 07:47 AM

How tacky the article is.  Quite pathetic, indeed.

Nevertheless, I fail to comprehend how Burma could be worse than it already
is.  Burma was once one of the richest countries in South East Asia.  Look
where it is now.

Anyone with a reasonable mind could see this through.  And do not let it
fool you by what so called "open market economy".  I was in Burma in mid
80's, and again in mid 90's.  I saw it with my own eyes that the general
public is more desperate than ever now.  There are more beggars on the
streets and near Pagodas than before.  (Young girls and boys barely 14-15
openly soliciting foreigners for sex at the Clubs..)  People struggle for
their daily meal and any way possible.  Not to mention that their lives are
gradually deteriorating without any much of hope.

How dare the author <a scholar??> is to write such crap & insult
intellectuals!


RANGOON MYANMAR ALIN: "BELIEVING IN OMENS"
(translated from Burmese, abridged)
March 12, 1997
Article by "a scholar"

"During the reign of King Bagyidaw or Sagaing Min of Konbaung Dynasty, a
sarong belonging to a female commoner, Mae Nu, blown by a whirlwind ended
up on top of a decorative roof of the king's palace. Court Brahmins
[advisers to the king] interpreted the event saying that the country would
be in ruins because of destruction by a woman.  This interpretation was not
accepted by King Bagyidaw who was deceived by sycophantic Brahmins into
looking for the owner of the sarong and honored her by marrying her and
making her a queen. What was the result of this?  Mae Nu, who became the
chief queen from a humble background, brought about so many disasters that
the country was almost in ruins.  Had not King Tharawaddy Min come to the
rescue, the destiny of the country would have been unthinkable. Mae Nu's
sarong which was carried by a whirlwind to the top of the palace and the
events that
actually took place may have been a coincidence."
"Before the ascension to the throne in Yadanabon Era by King Thibaw,
the last king of Myanmar [Burma], there was a prophesy:
Earthworm under the log chirps Rice cake cracks in the middle
Distinguished son of a distinguished mother
Shall lead the country to ruin
I need not state whether or not this prophesy came true.  Not only did
the country lay in ruin during his reign, but the entire country was
enslaved."
"While I was pondering these historical events in relation to omens
and prophesies, and wondering why the Myanmar people in the old days
interpret the sayings of children, mad persons, expressions in the market
place and in the theater, a rather unusual event took place in 1986.  As I
do not keep a diary of daily events I cannot recall the exact date, but
there were many eyewitnesses who were present with me when the event took
place.  I recall quite clearly that among those present was a famous woman
writer who won a literary award for writing a book on Myanmar horoscope and
personnel at the National Museum."  [passage omitted]
"I was looking at the royal regalia on display on the ground floor
when I was disturbed by a commotion.  When I went to where the people were
gathering I saw a deranged woman standing at the base of Thihathana Throne
[royal throne of kings of Mandalay] trying to climb up the throne.  She was
heard murmuring plaintive pieces of poem.  The people inside the museum
were first taken by surprise but later realized what was really happening.
The museum personnel, the security officers, and the people spoke nicely to
the woman and tried to persuade her.  As she was mentally deranged no one
tried to drag her out at first.  However, that woman did not listen and
continued to utter her plaintive piece of poem.  She got worse and tried to
sit on top of the throne.  By that time the people in the museum could no
longer tolerate her and dragged her out of the museum, saying a mad woman
does not deserve the throne.  That woman did not stay still when she got
outside.  She rolled herself on the sidewalk and continued to sing her
plaintive poem.  She said she was the daughter of the king of Yadanabon
[Mandalay] and asked why she was not allowed to sit on the golden throne.
She then started swearing and finally left when she got tired.
When I got home from the museum I tried to think whether what I had
witnessed could be an omen because a throne is a symbol of sovereign power.
 I wondered what it could mean -- a deranged woman trying to sit on top of
the throne.
Well, after the 1988 events came the Western Madonna or returnee from
Britain [referring to Aung San Suu Kyi] who is mumbling pointlessly about
democracy, attempting to sit on the country's sovereign throne, and
uttering her plaintive poem calling on the world to isolate the country and
impose economic sanctions if her wish is not fulfilled."
"After analyzing these events, I feel the 1986 occurrence involving
the deranged woman attempting to sit on the throne at the National Museum
is a premonition of the present Western Madonna problem.  If my assumption
is correct, the Western Madonna's future looks very worrisome.  Well, back
in 1986 museum officials and the people had to drag the deranged woman out
of the museum; now too if the premonition is true the Western Madonna will
definitely have a very grim finale."
"How grim will the finale be?" I curiously asked.
"If the Western Madonna continues her plaintive poem -- calls to
impose economic sanctions against Myanmar, urging tourists to boycott
Myanmar for gross human rights abuses, discouraging investments, and urging
severe actions against the country -- and attempts to gain sovereign power
which resembles a throne by means of a shortcut -- responsible personnel
and the people will definitely drag the Western Madonna out of our mother
country Myanmar in the near future."
A very practical and scientific man who did not believe in omens and
prophesies before made the above prophesy.