(Mis)-adventures of a Wa Officer
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BEYOND 1988 — REFLECTIONS

(Mis)-adventures of a Wa Officer


By AUNG NAING OO Saturday, September 18, 2010


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(Page 2 of 2)

Although he had a fair complexion and could pass for a Thai, his mother tongue was Burmese and he was not sure if he could really escape notice by the Burmese.

However, he could not refuse an order from his boss. Besides, he knew that Thai officers had helped his Wa camp before and they needed to return the favor. So he went with the Thai officers. The meeting was part of the regular exchange of information on border security.

His fears were realized as soon as he got to the Burmese camp, when he heard the Burmese soldiers say they had seen him somewhere before. Despite the shivers down his spine, he mustered enough courage to pretend that he did not understand what they were saying.

Then the meeting began. But as the Thai and Burmese officers sat down and introduced each other, the officer representing the Burmese army side asked Min Htoo, in Burmese, if he was Burmese. He feigned a blank look of noncomprehension, and the officer switched to English. Inside his head, Min Htoo sighed a relief.

The meeting, about border security and cooperation between the two countries, ended after an hour, without his cover being revealed. 

But to his horror, the officers continued to talk, shifting from matters of security to matters of golfing. Despite his desire to flee, he dutifully translated the conversation, as both Thai and Burmese officers began to boast about their golfing skills, their equipment, and how expensive their golf clubs were.

Finally, when the Burmese officer bragged about the price of his golf club Min Htoo could not control himself and suddenly blurted out, “Ma hote phoo! Ma hote phoo!”—meaning it is not true or right in Burmese.

Suddenly, all the Burmese officers’ eyes were on him. The Burmese officer in charge said he knew Min Htoo was Burmese. With a look that combined triumph and suspicion, he asked Min Htoo why he had lied to him in the first place.

Realizing he was in trouble, Min Htoo began to sweat, as the Burmese officers around the table began murmuring. Sensing something serious was going on, the Thai officers looked puzzled.

Min Htoo had to think fast. He needed to acknowledge that he spoke Burmese but also demonstrate that he was Thai and not Burmese. So in broken Burmese with a heavy Thai accent, he told the officer that he was born near the Burmese border and had learned to speak a little while trading with the Burmese.

The Burmese officer was not convinced. He knew Min Htoo was lying. He must have realized that the Burmese army side had revealed some security secrets in front of a Burmese they did not know. Following their commander's lead, other Burmese officers began pestering Min Htoo with more questions.

Sensing the rising tensions, the Thai officers suddenly told their Burmese counterparts it was time for them to return to Thailand. Since Min Htoo had come with the Thais, the Burmese could not arrest him, and had to let him go.

After that harrowing experience, Min Htoo told his boss that he was never going back to the Burmese camp, even if it meant facing execution for disobeying an order from a superior officer. Luckily, Min Htoo was never given such a risky assignment ever again.



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kyansittha Wrote:
19/09/2010
Thanks! Very good presentation and interesting. I would like to read more.

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