People who control the saw and People who are underneath the teeth of the saw………..

            As usual going to the tea shop that I am used to, I started to have a chit-chat when all my friends were ready. Grouping teenagers, we talked and laughed loud. Suddenly, we all became silent as coming out the words from one of us.

            “When I was a child in my village at summer time, I used to chop some dead branches from the trees in the field so that we could use them as firewood for two seasons- during the rainy season and up to beyond the cold season. As I chopped from every tree in the field as it is wide, I got enough firewood for these two seasons. After thinking for the size, I had to chop the cut-out dead branches on the ground into a piece so that they could be chopped with the axe. Just I mean, there is an essential tool, that is, a saw called ‘ Ngamanswe’.”

            Saying so, he paused his words as he took a sip of tea, then having a look at us, who wanted to know what he would say, continued,

            “Saw called ‘Ngamanswe’ has very sharp teeth. Two people have to saw the dead branch placing it between them with the saw on it, sawing here and there on its turns. The dead branch will be broken from the target point after fifteen minutes at a speed as the saw cuts sharply on its both turns. Perhaps, we can say that Burmese workers are similar to the dead branch underneath the saw.”

            “In our country, living with the family, the salary we are paid is insufficient even though we work hard and honestly. Especially the workers from the factories can be seen more prominently. All united not  to go for work as they could not stand it, now the workers from Hlaingtharyar Industrial Zone peacefully led the strike and asked for what they should have been paid. Thousands of workers led by the workers from Nay Min Aung, Sapalpwint, Pa Le, Taw Win, YG and Dhandayi factories, all united and boldly asked for the worker’s right. A man, seemed to be called a member of parliament or a chairman of development committee, using the loud speaker, letting out his voice loud, made co-ordination with the factories owners. ‘No!’, the voice came out from the diverse workers at the end of his speech. Such a voice like the field-gun fired made loud voice as it was a voice coming out from the simple and poor life workers for their struggling without necessary.  Why their reply ‘No!’ was because they were paid 15,000 instead of paying 30,000 Kyats, and as they were consoled with the sweet words. We have to wait and see how they will be helped with sympathy on the voices, because the Pa Le factory owners threatened them that one who did not work within three days will be dismissed at once. As a few jobs in Myanmar, the employee have to work at the given job. And the employee will lose his job if he behaves brazenly, greedily, with no sympathies to the employer. His life is similar to the saying ‘Out of the frying pan into the fire’. Whatever it was, despite the fact that they have to try to work to be rich, all workers have to lead the strike like this even to earn a living.”

            “In foreign country, which is not ours, leaving the family and feeling inferior, some have to work without refuse at a given job so that they can run their own business and own a house. Myanmar workers finding that the provided job in Myanmar can not provide even for the food sufficiently, whatever may happen, without caring their tears in their eyes, they go there discreetly and work. In fact, our ethnic workers are being treated as modern slaves in another country. Why I say so is because not long time ago exactly over 100 Myanmar workers whom were sold by the human traffickers were rescued by Thai-Myanmar community’s collaboration. These workers were placed and closed at the Prawn factory which is situated in Mahachai, Bangkok. Instead of paying the minimum wage 255 baht for per day, they were paid about 10 baht which is not equal amount donated to the beggars in that country.

They could not get paid every day. They were beaten when they could not work as they were sick. Treating them inhumanely, they were deadly fed the food which was not nourishing, which had gone bad, stunk, and dirty and which was nearly thrown in the dust bin, and the food that even pigs or dogs either did not want to eat. Eating such food with tears trying not to die, without being shy as they were hungry, seriously damaged to their health. These young and strong people, left their home with a dream, they were terribly suffering from these bad things hurting their hearts.”

            “Some workers, making up their mind that it would be better to escape or die instead of suffering from these bad things, tried to escape from that closed high building downing by the string that was made up of pieces of their clothes. Why I can say and share this with you is because I was told by those who had experienced and witnessed. At some houses, which were worse than this, ethnic Myanmar, Mon, Karen young women were given the amphetamine pills and individually sexually abused without giving any clothes. They all were played like a doll, destroyed, broken up their lives even though they were full of shed tears. They all suffered from these bad things. Some were sold to the fishing boats and they were shot after they had been sexually abused up to the content, and kicked down into the sea. Burmese children and youths were kidnapped and sold for the transplanting organs to some needy men. I think deeply asking myself if Burmese workers are still human beings or just beyond the animals. If we think about this easily, in this connection, this may be because of the human trafficking of the human traffickers. But we should think why these human traffickers can persuade us and why they became inhumanely human traffickers. Whatever it was, Hlaingtharyar diverse workers approved prominently that Myanmar workers are difficultly trying to earn a living. And when working in another country, they were being tortured like the animals without sympathy. Lives became meaningless, destroyed, broken up were approved by the over hundred Myanmar migrant workers for clearly vision and to be undeniable. So I do have said before that Myanmar workers are similar to the dead branch underneath the ‘Ngamanswe’ saw which cuts sharply on its both turns, lives being cut off not only in our country but also in others.”

            Saying so, his eyes were filled up with tears. At the end of his words, letting out of a tiredly, long and deep sigh, a deep thought came to my mind that being underneath the teeth of the saw is because of  the numerous people who are irresponsible without sympathy, and seeking for their own benefits only. These people are who control the saw which cuts sharply on its both turns.

                                                     Translated by Mg Myat Zaw from the original source of Mg Pyi Thein's

                                                      People who control the saw and People who are underneath the

                                                       the teeth of the saw...................................................................