Khemauk Village
Khemauk
village was our first place of visit. We were accompanied by two personal
bodyguards from the military, Lieutenant Htun Linn Oo and Sergeant Zaw Aye Maung
from the 44th Infantry Division of the Burmese army. The Lieutenant was able to
converse with us with his basic English and through hand gestures. He showed us
proudly the AK-47 over his shoulder, its hybrid M-16 magazine filled with 6.5mm
rounds and the Belgium-made Brownie pistol which he tucked neatly behind his
longyi (Burmese sarong) as if to reassure us he has enough weapons and
ammunition to protect us or a sinister warning that we better be on our toes now
that we are in a forbidden zone of Myanmar out of bounds to foreign visitors. We
soon learned that the Lieutenant was a native of Mandalay. His well-tanned skin
and smooth complexion makes him look younger than his 29 years would suggest. He
joined the Burmese army 4 years ago and is now in charge of the military
security of a cluster of 5 villages off Bilin township. The military’s
presence is everywhere, in the cities, along the roads, in the villages and I
won’t be surprised if they are to be found in the wilderness. Had he not told
us himself, I would find it hard to believe he is a military man given his soft
gentle voice, easy-going personality and friendliness, he could easily have
passed off as a film star. He has a subtle sense of humor though he may not know
it himself as he described the state of the Burmese army in broken sentences.
Myanmar army is very poor, they have no planes, helicopters or ships and he has
to depend on both his legs to traverse the land in his course of duty. I’m
curious to know whether he has fired his AK-47 before. I supposed he did but I
still can’t imagine such as gentleman like him could bear to open fire at
another human being. It is impossible to detect any hatred or brutality in his
eyes which may betray the facade he has put up in front of us.
We
were taken to the village hall where we had a refreshing natural coconut drink
to cool our bodies which has come under the mercy of the unbearable heat
outside. Next to the village hall is the monastery. In Myanmar, every village
has a monastery and the life of the villagers revolve around the monastery. The
monks (also known as sayadaws, or teachers) are the leaders of the community and
they are held in high regard. A group of children have gathered around us,
curious to see these two foreigners. They posed us questions in Burmese which we
could only reply with a meek smile. Protein malnutrition is prevalent in the
village as evident by the thin scrawny children with their bulging abdomens.
Scabies and fungal infections are as ubiquitous, with prominent red patches
found on the face, hands and feet. Most children do not wear slippers and they
run about the gravel-filled dirt tracks, the fields and the village bare-footed.
Two children had ulcers on their lips and cheek, having eaten some unknown fruit
in the fields. They were a rowdy bunch, teasing one another and running all over
the place totally oblivious to the heat and the presence of men in military
fatigue. The sugar cane fields are a couple of meters from the village hall.
There were men harvesting the crop, their bare backs glistening with sweat as
they swung their machetes repeatedly at the stubborn stalks under the glaring
sun. Bullock-carts carrying the sugar canes trudge slowly and gracefully along
the linear tracks dissecting the field to the sugar-cane refinery nearby. Sugar
cane and rice are the main agricultural produce of Bilin, most of which is given
to the government. There is no market economy here and barter trade is the only
form of commerce present at the village level.
Khemauk
village is home to some 50 families. I soon wandered off on my own to explore
the village. The houses were built on wooden stilts as the entire place will be
flooded during the rainy season from June to August. As I took random snapshots
of the huts, the buffalos and ducks, I can hear hilarious giggles emanating from
every corner. The villagers were totally bemused at the antics I employed to
capture them on film. The ladies were shy and would shake their heads to protest
at my misdemeanor but would eventually agree to be my “models” after dolling
themselves up!