Interview: Political prisoner’s wife talks hardships of life in his absence

By Admin 29 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 October 2023, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime arrested numerous civilians in Arakan State over their alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA) during the latest fighting between the two sides last year. The vast majority have been prosecuted under political charges, and are facing trials behind bars.
 
Most of those charged are their families’ breadwinners. In most cases they are men, whose wives have therefore been struggling to support their children.
 
Ko Myo (a pseudonym) was arrested in mid-2022 and charged with incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code and under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. His wife Ma Nyo (also a pseudonym) recently spoke with DMG about the struggles she now faces in day-to-day life, in the absence of her husband.
 
DMG: How is the trial going?
 
Ma Nyo: We are waiting for the verdict in the 505(a) charge, but prosecution witnesses have not yet been heard in the 17(1) charge. I don’t know why.
 
DMG: What do you want to say about the prolonged trial process?
 
Ma Nyo: I have been restless. I want the verdict to be delivered as soon as possible. I wish amnesty was granted for him. If my husband had done something wrong, I wouldn’t complain about his arrest and prosecution. I wouldn’t grumble. But many people, including my husband, did nothing wrong. They [the regime] hold civilians hostage, and there is no fair trial. They are stretching the law.
 
DMG: How is your husband’s ongoing detention affecting your family?
 
Ma Nyo: I am facing a lot of hardship as my husband, the breadwinner of our family, is behind bars. These days, even if both husband and wife work in a family, they still need to struggle to catch up with current commodity prices. I have to send my daughter to school, and I have to provide food and cash for my husband. The burden is all on my shoulders.
 
Some of those accused were granted amnesty in other townships. My husband was not granted amnesty. He is innocent, and the regime arrested him for no reason. He needed to receive treatment at a hospital. I had to borrow money to pay for his medical costs, and I still can’t fully repay the debts.
 
DMG: What are you doing to feed your family, and to repay the debt?
 
Ma Nyo: My mother feeds us. I do household chores, make clothes, and do other jobs. I have only paid back half of the debt. I have yet to pay back around 1 million kyats.
 
DMG: What other difficulties do you face without your husband?
 
Ma Nyo: I feel disheartened. Sometimes, I feel downhearted. However, I don’t feel depressed. I try to make sure my husband does not have difficult times inside prison. I try to keep my chin up.
 
My daughter usually spent the night with her father. When he was at home, my daughter would stay with him when he came back from work in the evenings. She would sleep beside him. She has been looking for her father since his arrest. I told her that her father was on a trip. She was shocked when she saw her father, who was receiving medical treatment. Her father was swollen across his body, and could barely speak. My daughter said it was not her father. She was frightened that much.
 
Her father would give her everything she asked for. However, I could not. I told her that her father would fulfill her wishes when he arrives back from the “trip.” I could not afford her school ferry fees. It costs 40,000 kyats a month. So, I have to ferry her with my e-bike.
 
DMG: What do you want to say about the civilians in Arakan State who have been prosecuted on political charges?
 
Ma Nyo: Some of the detainees may have actually committed the crimes they are accused of. But many of them are only civilians struggling to support their families. I don’t want those civilians to be scapegoated. My husband is just an ordinary civilian.