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Saw Ba U Gyi: The last days of a KA



Subject: Saw Ba U Gyi: The last days of a KAREN revolutionary

MY LAST MEETING WITH GAW KHO* SAW BA U GYI IN THE REVOLUTION AREA
ON AUGUST 9, 1950 ,  BY Saw Johny Htoo
	
	It was on August 8, 1950, when I was stationing in Ka Ter Ti village, Papun
District, an urgent matter came up and I had to go to Papun.  We left Ka Ter
Ti with two bullockcarts and stopped by Htwee Thee Ou village on our way.
 Whenever I stop by there I used to stay at my aunt Mu Yah Dah house, but
this time as soon as I entered the village and saw my aunt, she ran to me and
told me: "Can you please go stay with village headman this time, because my
house is already filled with Gaw Koh Ba U Gyi and his men?  They came with
two bullockcarts too."    

	As I was traveling with a few other people, I went to stay at the village
headman's house.  Then, I decided to go and meet with Saw Ba U Gyi at my aunt
house.  He was there with his other nine friends including General Saw San
Kay and a secretary from British Embassy.  After a short discussion with him,
I found out that they were on their way to Bangkok for the meeting with some
foreign officials there.  And just before I left the place, I asked him when
he is going to leave, and he told me, "early in the morning."  Then I asked
him if he wants some tea, and he asked me in return, "do you bring me just
plain tea or tea?"  "Of course, sweet tea," I answered.  He then said, "good!
let's have some tea before we leave tomorrow."  "we will pray for you that
your next child be a boy," he uttered, because until then I had only
daughters.  

	That night I came back to the place where I stay and asked one of my
lieutenant to boil me a pot of water the next day before 4 o'clock in the
morning.  For some reasons, I had a strange dream that night.   In my dream I
saw Saw Ba U Gyi with his head shaved, and he shaved his beard too.  I
thought he did that probably because he is going to a foreign country.  I
then suddenly woke up.  I was going to go and see him so that I could have a
final talk with him before he leaves.  But I looked at my watch and it was
too early, only 3 o'clock in the morning, so I went to sleep again.  

	The next day, I woke up at 4 a.m. and then I made some tea and took it to
him.  Soon after the breakfast we departed: he continued his trip as I headed
to Papun.  At first I thought, in my mind,  to tell him about my dream but I
didn't, because I knew that he does not believe in that type of things like
dreams or omens.  Karen people used to  say that if we dreamed of someone
naked, he or she will lose his or her positions or rank, and if we dreamed of
somebody with shaved he or she will lose his or her life.

	The day I met with Saw  Ba U Gyi was August 8, 1950, and we departed on the
next day.  On August 12, 1950, at no one's expectation, my first cousin Saw
Kye The who was then Signal In-charge in Papun Area intercepted a message
which says that the enemy captured and murdered Saw  Ba U Gyi and his
colleagues at Hto Kaw Koe village.  

	The news came to my surprise and I was trying to find out what went wrong
with them.  I found out that they left for Hlaine Bwe the next day.  Before
they took off from Hlaine Bwe, Maj. Gen. Ta Ka Baw who was the Division
Commander of that area told Saw Ba U Gyi that he would arrange for him one
company to take with him for security reason.  Yet, Saw Ba U Gyi flatly
replied that he did not want to disturb the soldiers.  Then Maj. Gen. Ta Ka
Baw insisted again that he better accept at least one platoon, should he not
want to take a whole company of troops with him.  Saw Ba U Gyi did not even
accept one platoon.  It was during August and the rain was heavy so he did
not want to bother the soldiers, and they continued their trip, heading to
another village by themselves with no security arrangement.  

	The next day, Saw Ba U Gyi and his group headed to Hto Kaw Koe village.
 However, before they got to Hto Kaw Koe, their trip was delayed unexpectedly
by a heavy rain of August somewhere the outskirts of Hto Kaw Koe.
 Unfortunately, that very news was informed by a Karen traitor to the enemy
company which stationed near Hlaine Bwe.  It was later found out that the
company commander was Sein Lwin.  While Saw Ba U Gyi and his group were
stuck,  they were attacked and murdered by the enemy, the then Maj. Sein Lwin
and his troops.  The remain of Saw Ba U Gyi was brought back to Moulmain and
was later dumped into the river at Kaung Say Kyung, a village near Moulmain.
  

	Saw Ba U Gyi sacrificed his life for his people.  He solemnly had to die in
the hands of his enemy, but his principles for Karen people will remain alive
forever.  His words that he used to tell me, "brother, justice will lift our
people up," will always stay in my heart and mind. 

*Gaw Kho in Karen stands for President.
 
Roughly translated from Karen to English by Saw Kapi of Karen Cultural and
Historical Center in Bakersfield, California.