Last Days of Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (Uncle Eugene)
by Kanbawza Win, Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com), August 1, 2004
As a mammoth Burmese crowd attended the first ever, state funeral held outside of Burma and sadly lower the flag draped body of their beloved leader Dr Chao Tzang Yawnghwe into the crematorium, I clearly recollect what he has done to us. The only scholar in the whole wide world, who really knows in depth of the Burmese problem and who tries to find the solution until he breath his last; Eugene is the first person ever to point out the flaws of Burma Studies as a discipline. It was in Gottenberg that he educated the farang Burmese scholars or rather the self-style "Burma experts" that in the approach of national unity of the Burma Studies, it was plagued by a -dimensional analysis, which approach "Burma" as a monolithic nation-state. This approach clearly contradict the Panglong Spirit of 1947 where the ethnic nationalities came together just to have independence from Britain and to test for a decade of what comes out in association with the dominant Myanmar tribe. He commented that Burma Studies seems to float in a theoretical vacuum, based on West-centric models and concluded that it is important to know the problem first before finding the solution. This approach painted a clear picture that the basic Burmese problem is national solidarity rather than democracy because if there is no ethnic nationality problem there is no reason for the army to come to power and not the other way round. In other words the ad hoc solution which Bogyoke Aung San and the Martyrs implemented has to be crystallized to everybody's satisfaction and solidified. It is only on this pivot that the Burmese problem can be solved. His theory proves to be true for even the Junta, who used to rough ride shot over Daw Suu and the NLD now has second thought over its so called national convention when the ethnic ceasefire groups put up their proposal.
As a mammoth Burmese crowd attended the first ever, state funeral held outside of Burma and sadly lower the flag draped body of their beloved leader Dr Chao Tzang Yawnghwe into the crematorium, I clearly recollect what he has done to us. The only scholar in the whole wide world, who really knows in depth of the Burmese problem and who tries to find the solution until he breath his last; Eugene is the first person ever to point out the flaws of Burma Studies as a discipline. It was in Gottenberg that he educated the farang Burmese scholars or rather the self-style "Burma experts" that in the approach of national unity of the Burma Studies, it was plagued by a -dimensional analysis, which approach "Burma" as a monolithic nation-state. This approach clearly contradict the Panglong Spirit of 1947 where the ethnic nationalities came together just to have independence from Britain and to test for a decade of what comes out in association with the dominant Myanmar tribe. He commented that Burma Studies seems to float in a theoretical vacuum, based on West-centric models and concluded that it is important to know the problem first before finding the solution. This approach painted a clear picture that the basic Burmese problem is national solidarity rather than democracy because if there is no ethnic nationality problem there is no reason for the army to come to power and not the other way round. In other words the ad hoc solution which Bogyoke Aung San and the Martyrs implemented has to be crystallized to everybody's satisfaction and solidified. It is only on this pivot that the Burmese problem can be solved. His theory proves to be true for even the Junta, who used to rough ride shot over Daw Suu and the NLD now has second thought over its so called national convention when the ethnic ceasefire groups put up their proposal.
The most conspicuous aspects of Chao Tzang is that unlike other ethnic leaders he used to think in terms of the whole country and accepted that the majority of the Myanmar were persecuted in the same way as they had done to the other ethnic groups and as such that they were brothers struggling shoulder to shoulder and should be considered as a compatriots rather than an enemy. The Myanmar group, especially to the Diaspora, which had tasted what it is to be a minority in the wide world, he showed them the art of cooperation and coordination, one of the very few leaders of Burma, who practiced and preached fraternity. Thus in this aspect it is a big and a major loss to the Burmese democratic movement. He is not only a leader of the ethnic groups who was able to convince its compatriots the folly of separatism and a guiding light to the Burmese in Diaspora but also a statesman of the highest intellectual and moral integrity with a burning vision for prosperous Burma. He has brazed the trial of emancipation politics not only from a terrorist Tatamadaw but also from our structural thoughts so much so that we find that some of his writings are hard to comprehend. As a pragmatic leader he is the co-founder of the United Nationalities League for Democracy (Liberated Area) and an adviser to National Reconciliation Programme & NCGUB is also the Chairman, of the Ethnic Nationalities Council. He may be dead but not his will and we are quite positive that his ideas and visions will be carried on by young and up coming leaders. His unflagging progressive and radical ideas couple with actions set an excellent example to all those who came into contact with him. To quote the joint condolence of the Shan he had "designed a strategy of multi-pronged campaign for the struggle for freedom with - a well-defined key principle of actions: Common Goal, Diverse Actions, with one voice and command in opposition to the dictatorial." His hair breath escape from the narco baron's assassination attempt, who now is the shining gentlemen of Rangoon and himself hunted down by the Burmese Military Intelligence men, indicates that he has taken a well-calculated risk. His endeavours will always identifies with the persecuted and the marginalized people crying out for justice that associate with Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Democracy.
Every Burmese except the Junta will agree that we have lost a hero. But lamentably we will have to admit that the history of Burma is the history of killing off its heroes, the tradition that started with the killing of Pa Be Maung Tint Dae (black smith Mg Tint Dae) has to be stopped once and for all. Even our neighbouring country honour our hero (see photo), it is a shame to all the people of Burma especially the Burmese army that a person like Eugene, instead of sitting in the panel of national reconciliation in the Federal Union of Burma has to die an exile in Canada. Imagine he lost his father and brother at the hands of the cruel Tatmadaw while he and his mother die in exile Even though we belong to the same town Yawnghwe (now due to the Junta's ethnic cleansing policy has change to a Burmanize word of Nyaung Shwe meaning golden banyan tree just like any other ethnic name e.g. the previous Mon capital of Hongsawaddy U Thar Pegu was changed to Bago), I knew him only at the Rangoon University in 1961 when he organize me to play for the Shan State Students soccer team. One of the cheerleaders was a blonde Nu Nu Myint of Kengtung; no doubt they fell for each other. Since then I frequented his home at the corner of Kaba Aye and Goodliffe Road, an old wooden Haw of colonial style (now confiscated by the Burmese army as they had done to all the Haws of the Saopha and destroyed them, the latest being the Kengtung Haw because they don't want to leave vestiges of Shan race and categorize all the ethnic nationalities into the history book of the vanishing tribes, a precedent practice thousands of years ago when the Myanmar tribe take over the Thet and Kanyan tribes and all of them has become Myanmar).
I became very friendly with his brother Sao Mye Mye Thaike, Ying, his elder sister was a little senior than me while Sao Hearn was just a kid then. Come, the fateful day of 2nd. March 1962, his younger brother, Sao Mye Mye Thaike was deliberately killed by the Tatmadaw men (an accident was just a lie). I can still recollect of how he cried bitterly at his brother's funeral in Rangoon. Since then my life, just like any other people of Burma, has change for the worst. I saw him again at his father's (the first President of Burma) funeral in Yawnghwe who died under ambiguous circumstances under custody. Two and a half decades passed and until I became a fugitive in 1988 that I met him again. Since, then I have met several times at the international conferences where he teaches me a lot not by his words but by his actions. On arriving back from Thailand in May, I rushed to the Royal Columbia Hospital and seeing 27 seven staples stitches on his head I at once sense the inevitable. The second biopsy confirmed our worst fears but both Nu Nu and I keep quiet as we took him home and later Nu informed his son and brother Sao Hearn.
Eugene, as a leader of Shan State University student had honour my brother and me for representing Burma in the athletics of Southeast Asian Games even though we decline the offer for we were knock out in the first heats and yet he soothingly said, "The important thing is not to win but to take part," Even as the Athens Olympic draws near I clearly comprehend his phrase now, that in life the important thing is not to be triumphant but to struggle and you have showed it throughout your life by actions. Now it is not only I but also the whole world is honouring him. We promise to struggle on to liberate our country from the clutches of the tyrannical Junta that is torturing every day to every citizen of Burma. We also promise that your ashes together with your mother's will one day be taken back to our native Yawnghwe to be buried forever by the side of your father, the first president of free Union of Burma. But you will have to wait for a moment because if this Myanmar Generals can have the heart to prevent the dying Michael Aris from seeing his wife for the last time, what kind of mercy do we expect from such an evil government?