who escaped from the face of death within Lay Kay Kaw battles Part 2

AyeyarwadyRevolutionNews

“On December 25, Christmas Day”
While we could be using internet, I read about battle histories that terrorist military intentionally chose and strike on the festive days of natives.
That’s why I was worrying about that.
On that day at morning 10 am, they started the battle with missile strikes.
Instead of firing one or two missiles as usual, they strike series of 3 to 4 missiles.
Explosions became nearer about 500 yards to our location.
Since it became nearer to our location and count of missile strikes increased, we worried about the refugees at first.
We got information that they had installed the missile launchers at around 4 camp hills, we had no choice but to retreat.

At that time, we were preparing lunch for refugees at our camp.
Although explosions were happening near us, feeding was also important.
While we were trying as fast as we could, a missile reached to the nearest point with us.
Although there was no casuality, we knew about the explosive power of 120mm missile.
So we all retreated to Mei Wah Khee Monastary.
Since there were around 60/70 refugees and explosions came near to the monastary, we had to retreat to another place again.
A native guided us to Flu village through the woods and we left this camp.

Terrorist military initiated the strike while we were planning to migrate.
Terrorist soldiers moved forward to us with the help of missile lauchers.
As soon as they reached to rubber woods, they fired missiles to our group.
A missile exploded within the crowd and our brother Ko Aung Myo Zin(Ko Oak Kyi) and an editor from a media lost their lives.
The other one lost his leg and my friend injured his arm.
There were also some people who got minor damage.
Luckily, I was between two high grounds near bamboo trees.

Since I was instructed how to react during missile explosion, I lied on the ground and kept my hand between my heart and ground.
I tilted my head to the left and explosion scattered to my right side.
My eardrum suffered so much pain and I could hear nothing.
All were shocked and run forward in chaos.
When I reached to the next high ground, my ears could hear a little bit.
Missiles striked nearby continuously and I had to close my ears with my hands.
I could barely stand the noise of explosion.

After we had run about 10 or 15 minutes, we checked count at a canyon.
The boy who lost his leg remained at that incident.
I couldn’t know who was dead and left.
I had to treat my injured friend to control blood lost with clothes that we had.
The girls gave pads and we treated with pads to the injury.
Then we shared water to all and warned not to drink a lot since they are too tired and worried of choke.

Then I realized if we stayed still, missiles did not reach near us.
As soon as we moved, missiles reached near us.
So I realized that they targeted to the location of the moving crowd.

While we were running, some wore slippers and their feet were hit with thorns.
Luckily I was wearing shoes.
We all encountered with nearly death and we were shocked.
After we realized that canyons and ditches were safe for missiles, we rolled into them as soon as possible.

While we were running, some people couldn’t carry their staffs anymore and left them on the way.
I had to carry my injured friend so I was left far away from the group.

After we passed through corn field and reached to a high ground, we rested at a corn stored tent.
Not more than 5 minutes, we heard a sound.
Our location was away from the missile strikes.
Some said that sound was from a car but we realized that was from an aircraft and we had to run again.
Luckily, after we run down from the high ground, there was a place with banana plants and Saccharum spontaneum.
We all lied down and hid in that place.
Two helicopters came and striked Mei Wah Khee camp hill.
We all had no other place to run and hid and relaxed at that place.
I regarded myself as a dead man and prayed.
I was so frightened because it was my first time with air strike.
Missile and machine gun strikes from the aircrafts were continuous and it was so terrifying.
Unless this place existed, we were be damned on the plain field.
Terrorists were not going to have mercy whether refugees or civilians.

We didn’t hear the aircraft sound after around 20 minutes and then we moved forward.
With the lead of native guide, we went to nearby refugee camps.
Natives also warned us not to run and only follow their footsteps.

“When we arrived to refugee camps, we realized that the field we crossed through was minefield.”

Ko Nine
A comrade of Ayeyarwady Revolutionary

Go To Part I