Having seen the inside of Myanmar

Last December 2006, I was very lucky and blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Myanmar. If not for the official ASEAN meeting where we have been invited, I may not have this chance to go to this country. We were there for about a week and though short, we managed to visit two major cities, Mandalay and Yangon, plus another island called Mingun. I have posted quite a number of pictures I took while I was there. Myanmar is a beautiful country and its people are so warm and so nice and so helpful, despite the language difficulty. Again, I had been mistaken for a Myanmarese while I was there. Not surprising since I seem to have a very ordinary Asian look.

Anyway, when I heard about the protests of the monks recently in Yangon and the growing numbers of people that are going to the streets to protest against the huge increase in oil prices in the country and the curfew now being imposed in the two major cities that I had been, I cannot help but feel concerned and sad. I feel concerned because I have three very good friends who hail from Myanmar. I do pray and hope they and their families are safe.

I also pray for peace to be upon the hearts of the military leaders and for the wisdom of Buddha to guide them as they make decisions on how to deal with this growing discontent and everyday protests, especially as the highest moral leaders of Myanmar, the monks have now come out and made a clear stand against the military junta.

I spent half a day inside the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and I remember feeling in awe of the number of people who go there to spend their day to pray and to commune not only with Buddha but also with their families and friends. My friend told me the pagoda has become a refuge now for the people, against the economic hardship they are experiencing. Myanmarese have become more spiritual and prayerful against the reality of a life that continues to deprive them of so many opportunities and of a cloistered life, as their society continues to be ruled by the military junta.

To my friends in Yangon and to the people of Myanmar, I offer a prayer of peace and unity.