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Burmese Immigrants in Indiana, 2001-2002

A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University Bloomington

Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002

Overview of the Collection

Repository
Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory
Indiana University
400 North Sunrise Drive
Weatherly Hall North, Room 122
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
http://www.indiana.edu/~cshm

Creator
Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory

Title
Burmese Immigrants in Indiana, 2001-2002

Project No.
ohrc112

Interviews
20 interview. Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral materials.

Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.

Language
Materials are in English.

Abstract
This collection of interviews presents a sampling of life in Burma over the last quarter of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The interviewees, who are all now living in the United States, share their experiences of growing up in a time of transition and political upheaval within their home country. Many of them were involved with the 1988 demonstrations that took place in Rangoon and nearby villages. Almost all spent some time living in fear of arrest, surviving in refugee camps, and hoping for better opportunity. They express varying opinions of their hope for a future democratic Burma and express their appreciation for the lives they have now. This project was co-directed by Professor M. Gail Hickey of the School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains twenty interviews conducted over one year. The interviews range from 45 to 175 minutes. All open interviews consist of audio tapes and typed transcripts.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for the Study of History and Memory at Indiana University is open to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies are permitted by the deed of gift signed by the interviewee. Scholars must honor any restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier (pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Tapes may not be copied for patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the taped interview. Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for the Study of History and Memory, Indiana University, Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape number and side if no transcript].
Interview List
Interviewee
Anonymous December 7, 2001 

Call Number
02-001

Physical Description

41 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 118 minutes, index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

This is the life story of a Burmese immigrant, born in the mid-1970s, living in Indiana. The interviewee fled from Burma after the 1988 student uprisings. The interviewee talks about childhood, education, experiences during the uprisings and flight from Burma; fighting in the border areas; and life in a refugee camp. The interviewee discusses coming to Indiana on a scholarship, his impressions of the United States, and life as an immigrant in the United States. The interviewee also discusses hopes for the future including education, and returning to a democratic Burma.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • BBC
    • Burmese Community Resource Center
    • Burmese Socialist People's Party
    • Democratic Voice of Burma
    • Distance Education Program
    • Indiana University
    • Open Society Institute
    • SEATO
    • TOTAL
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Unocal
    • Upper Burma Student Organization Society
    • Occupation Names
    • farmer
    • psychologist
    • soldier
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Ne Win
    • Place Names
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Indiana
    • Mandalay, Burma
    • Myanmar
    • Sino-Burma border
    • Thai-Burma border
    • Thailand
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • astrology
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese education
    • Burmese military coup
    • Burmese military government
    • censorship
    • Christianity
    • ethnic groups
    • guitars
    • Hinduism
    • homosexuality
    • human rights
    • immigrants
    • jokes
    • palm reading
    • refugee camp
    • resistance groups
    • schools
    • theater
Interviewee
Anonymous January 15, 2002 

Call Number
02-002

Physical Description

34 pages; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 85 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

This is a life history of a Burmese immigrant, born 1975, living in Indiana. The interviewee discusses childhood and education in Burma; experiences with student political organizations, the 1988 movement and 1990 elections, organizing strikes and forced flight from Burma afterwards. The interviewee discusses life in refugee camps in India; being accepted into the Burmese Refugee Scholarship Program and coming to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana; and experiences as an immigrant in America. The interviewee also discusses hopes for the future, and love for music.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • Burmese Refugee Scholarship Program
    • Danish Burma Council
    • Distance Education Program
    • Immigration and Naturalization Service
    • Indiana University
    • Iron Cross
    • National League for Democracy
    • Open Society Institute
    • Occupation Names
    • monk
    • rice distributor
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Lay Phyu
    • Place Names
    • India
    • Indiana
    • Myanmar
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • American culture
    • Buddhism
    • Buddhist monastery
    • Buddhist monk
    • Buddhist novice
    • Burmese children
    • Burmese culture
    • Burmese education
    • Burmese marriage
    • Burmese military government
    • censorship
    • Chin ethnic group
    • Christianity
    • democracy
    • ethnic groups
    • guitars
    • music
    • political activities
    • refugee camp
    • religion
    • socialism
    • student political activity
    • student political organizations
    • traditional music
    • United States education
Interviewee
Anonymous May 17, 2002 

Call Number
02-003

Physical Description

48 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, minutes, index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee recalls family history and life in Burma, prior to the 1988 student uprisings, sharing memories about early childhood and the different ethnic groups. The interviewee talks about life and work in Rangoon, after leaving Burma in September 1988, expressing the difficulties faced as an illegal immigrant. Finally, the interviewee discusses life in Fort Wayne, Indiana, education and school at IPFW, social life and the Burmese community in Fort Wayne, and cultural differences between Burma and the U.S.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • American School
    • Burmese Socialist People's Party
    • International Rescue Committee
    • Place Names
    • Charlottesville, Virginia
    • Myitkyina, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • United States
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Ne Win
    • Subjects
    • American society
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese education
    • Christianity
    • democracy
    • jade mining
    • Kachin ethnic group
    • Kachin Independence Army
    • refugees
    • Shan ethnic group
    • terrorists
Interviewee
Anonymous May 21, 2002 

Call Number
02-004

Physical Description

41 pages; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 162 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Open

Scope and Content Note

From a Karen family whose mother taught Economics, English and Burmese, the interviewee relates experiences of early childhood and education, sharing observations of character and behavior in people’s reluctance to become involved until they are directly affected. With insights as a non-Buddhist in Burma, we discover someone who has lived in poverty but without want where family focused on education and cultural tradition to build strength of character. Vastly different experiences from central Burma to refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border when the family escapes following the 1988 movement solidify values and beliefs for this interviewee. Able to join family in the United States in 1990 for further education while difficult in the beginning has provided a foundation for this individual who gives back by working to advocate issues of women’s rights through work with international diplomats. Future goals include completing a dissertation on public healthcare systems with hopes for changes in Burma that would lead to such a system.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Free Burma Coalition
    • Indiana University
    • International Law Center of Cambridge
    • Karen National Union
    • Smithsonian Institution
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Voice of America
    • Occupation Names
    • evangelist
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Fiddler, David
    • Place Names
    • Bakersfield, California
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • New York, New York
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Thai-Burma border
    • Toungoo, Burma
    • Subjects
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • bible school
    • British colonial occupation
    • Burmese military government
    • church sponsor
    • ethnic discrimination
    • exile government
    • military coup
    • political demonstrations
    • public health law
    • refugee camp
    • religious beliefs
    • rice farming
    • school teacher
Interviewee
Anonymous August 1, 2002 

Call Number
02-009

Physical Description

19 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 85 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood and family life in Burma. The interviewee discusses involvement in the 1988 political uprising, including background on Burmese government and military intelligence, the student organizations and New Mon State Party. The interviewee shares experiences of arrest and detention while trying to get asylum as a political refugee before getting approval to come to the United States. The interviewee talks about life in America, relationships with family still in Burma, and goals for the future.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Federations Student Union
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • BBC
    • Burmese Broadcasting Service
    • Catholic Charities
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • Ivy Tech
    • National League for Democracy
    • New Mon State Party
    • Nishikawa Standard Company
    • Occupation Names
    • monk
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Phone Maw
    • Place Names
    • Moulmein, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Sang Khla Buri
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Subjects
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • ESL
    • political asylum
Interviewee
Anonymous July 18, 2002; July 31, 2002 

Call Number
02-005

Physical Description

83 pages; 6 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 143 min., index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

This life story of a Burman native from a large family reveals a look at the historical background of Burma to present day. The interviewee shares early childhood and education experiences with insight to a multi-ethnic area and its problems which along with military rule lead to protests and demonstrations ultimately becoming the 1988 movement for democracy. The interviewee reveals experience of life "on the run", concern for personal safety and fear of arrest prior to staying in refugee camps. This diffucult time has led the interviewee to an internal peace and appreciation for the life now in Fort Wayne where the family is safe and free and the children have hope for a good education.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Federations Student Union
    • BBC
    • Burmese Socialist People's Party
    • NGO
    • Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • United Nations
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Aung Gyi
    • Aung San
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Mao Tse-tung
    • Maung Phone Maw
    • Min Ko Naing
    • Min Thinka
    • Moe Thee Zun
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Renanound, Thailand
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • monastery
    • 1947 Constitution
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • British colonial occupation
    • Buddhist monk
    • Buddhist novice
    • Buddhist teachings
    • Burmese army
    • Burmese education
    • Burmese language
    • Burmese military coup
    • Burmese national anthem
    • democracy
    • economic conditions
    • farmers
    • interim government
    • martial law
    • military intelligence
    • military training
    • movies
    • nationhood
    • open literature
    • political demonstrations
    • social problems
    • standard
    • student protests
    • tea shops
    • Thai police
    • underground organizations
Interviewee
Anonymous July 20, 2002; November 6, 2002 

Call Number
02-006

Physical Description

48 pages; 7 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, minutes, index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood, family relations and early education. Following the 1988 democratic uprisings, the interviewee reveals the struggle to survive in the jungle and refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, sharing experiences for working with the Mon army and working as a student representative for the New Mon State Party. The interviewee relates the experience of getting refugee status and help through the UNHCR and Catholic Charities to come to the United States. Finally, the interviewee talks about life in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Burmese community with the hopes for a free, democratic Burma to return to.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • Catholic Charities
    • Immigration Detencion Center
    • UNCHR
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Thai-Burma border
    • United States
    • Occupation Names
    • missionary
    • student
    • Subjects
    • 1988 Burmese student uprising
    • Burmese education
    • Burmese military government
    • democracy
    • Karen ethnic group
    • Mon community
    • Mon ethnic group
    • Mon tradition
    • refugee camp
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous July 24, 2002 

Call Number
02-007

Physical Description

40 pages, 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 100 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

This is the life history of a Burmese immigrant born in Yangon (Rangoon) prior to the 1988 student uprisings. The interviewee who at age five faced the death of a father for his role in the Karen revolution, shares memories of family and early childhood. With a strong Karen background and belief in human rights, the interviewee relates experiences from divinty school, work as a missionary and communication challenges for family.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Burma Divinity School
    • Karen National Union
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • United States
    • Yangon, Myanmar
    • Occupation Names
    • missionary
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Saw Ba Oo Gyi
    • Subjects
    • American values
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese government
    • Christianity
    • democracy
    • ethnicity
    • Four Principles
    • Karen ethnic group
    • Karen revolution
    • refugee camp
    • sermons
Interviewee
Anonymous August 1, 2002 

Call Number
02-010

Physical Description

22 pages; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 60 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses early childhood, family life, and education in Burma leading up to the time of the 1988 revolution. The interviewee discusses politics and life as part of an underground organization during this time, sharing details of life in training camps and refugee camps. The interviewee talks about Catholic Charities sponsorship, coming to America, and the political and cultural differences between the United States and Burma.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Catholic Charities
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Min Ko Naing
    • Phone Maw
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Salween River
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Toungoo, Burma
    • Subjects
    • Buddhist monk
    • Burmese education
    • political detention
    • refugee camp
Interviewee
Anonymous August 3, 2002 

Call Number
02-011

Physical Description

40 pages, 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 149 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood and family life in Burma. The interviewee discusses involvement in the 1988 political uprising, including background on Burmese government and military intelligence, and the All Burma Student Democratic Union. The interviewee shares the experiences of being a student during the time of the demonstrations, expressing the difficulties faced by not only students but others in Burma no matter what ethnic group. The interviewee talks about life in America, relationships with family still in Burma, and goals for the future.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Federations Student Union
    • All Burma Student Union
    • BBC
    • Hlaing University
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • Ivy Tech
    • Joint Volunteer Agency
    • National League for Democracy
    • Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Aung Gyi
    • Aye Nyein Thu
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Mao Tse-tung
    • U Nu
    • Place Names
    • Australia
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Hlaing township, Burma
    • Mandalay, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Thailand
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • 7-7-77
    • 8-8-88
    • Burmese military government
    • government servant
    • immigration law
    • political activities
    • political demonstrations
    • socialism
    • student uprising
Interviewee
Anonymous August 10, 2002 

Call Number
02-017

Physical Description

35 pages, 2 tapes, indexed

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

Through the use of a translator, the interviewee discusses life as a member of the Mon ethnic group. The interviewee recalls time in the Mon army, participating in demonstrations, marriage, moving to Thailand as a refugee. The interviewee describes moving to the United States, cultural differences between the U.S. and his homeland, the Mon community in Indiana, his continuing political activism, and his hopes for the future.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Mon National Liberation Army
    • Monland Restoration Council
    • New Mon State Party
    • Overseas Mon National Students Organization
    • UNHCR
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • North Carolina
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese army
    • Burmese military government
    • human rights
    • Mon culture
    • Mon school
    • permanent resident status
    • political demonstrations
    • racial discrimination
    • refugee camps
    • Thai authorities
Interviewee
Anonymous September 20, 2002 

Call Number
02-012

Physical Description

30 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 75 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee recalls family history and their medicine shop business in Mudon, Burma, and talks about early childhood and the exposure to different ethnic groups and religious practices while in school, emphasizing the competitive nature of the Burmese education system. The interviewee talks about life and work in Rangoon, explaining the difficulty in completing medical school there due to the 1988 uprisings and subsequent school closing, eventually opting to come to the United States to pursue further education. Finally, the interviewee discusses life in Fort Wayne, Indiana, education and school at IPFW, social life and the Burmese community in Fort Wayne, and cultural differences between Burma and the U.S.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Ivy Tech
    • New Vision Business School
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Pe Thwin
    • Place Names
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Mudon, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • advertising agency
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese education system
    • church choir
    • Christianity
    • family business
    • medicine shop
    • missionary work
    • Mon culture
    • traditional medicine
Interviewee
Anonymous November 2, 2002 

Call Number
02-013

Physical Description

47 pages; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 175 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood and family life in Burma, detailing experiences in a school of mixed ethnicity prior to the 1988 student uprisings. The interviewee shares memories of life as a refugee, managing with hundreds of others in the camp, while hoping to leave to further education and ultimately coming to the United States.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • BBC
    • Burmese Democratic Society
    • Democratic Burmese Student Organization
    • International Rescue Committee
    • Jimmy Carter Foundation
    • Joint Volunteer Agency
    • Mon Land Restoration Council
    • Moulmein University
    • Nishikawa Standard Company
    • Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • Unitarian Universalist Church
    • United Nations
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Voice of America
    • Occupation Names
    • factory worker
    • student
    • teacher
    • translator
    • Personal Names
    • Confucius
    • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Huang Tran
    • Ne Win
    • Phone Maw
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
    • Mandalay, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Salween River
    • Thai-Burma border
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • Buddhism
    • Burmese culture
    • Burmese education
    • Burmese language
    • Burmese military government
    • dictatorship
    • English
    • guerilla warfare
    • human rights abuses
    • immigration law
    • jungle
    • political revolutionary
    • political movement
    • Six Point policy
    • socialism
    • student protests
    • sugar mill
    • Union Day
Interviewee
Anonymous November 9, 2002 

Call Number
02-014

Physical Description

25 pages, 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 45 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

Through the help of a translator, we learn about the interviewee's childhood and hometown. The interviewee discusses the need to discontinue education in order to work and help the family, eventually moving to Thailand following the 1988 student demonstrations. The interviewee shares impressions of coming to the United States and the pleasant surprise in finding a Mon community in Fort Wayne.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • BBC
    • Place Names
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Mon state, Burma
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
    • United States
    • Occupation Names
    • factory worker
    • Subjects
    • Buddhist monk
    • church sponsor
    • Mon culture
    • refugee camp
    • refugees
    • rice farming
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous November 9, 2002 

Call Number
02-015

Physical Description

40 pages, 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 95 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

Use this for life history interviews.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Karen National Union
    • UNHCR
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyi
    • Place Names
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Salween River
    • Subjects
    • Buddhist temple
    • Burmese military government
    • democracy
    • refugee camp
Interviewee
Anonymous November 10, 2002 

Call Number
02-016

Physical Description

22 pages, 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 60 minutes, index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

This life story of a Burmese immigrant told by both the immigrant and their spouse reveals a life of turmoil in a politicallyl unstable environment. The interviewee expresses unhappiness and concern for the state of Burma, a country that was once home, relating experiences of living in fear of arrest and sepatation from family. Following the 1988 student uprisings, the interviewee tells us of leaving Burma and life in a refugee camp ultimately reuniting with spouse and children. The interviewee shares ideas of future goals and hope for communication with the rest of the family that was left behind.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • BBC
    • Catholic Charities
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • Mon Liberation Army
    • New Mon State Party
    • Radio Mon
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Place Names
    • Albany, New York
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Mon state, Burma
    • Thai-Burma border
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Subjects
    • Buddhist temple
    • farmers
    • human rights abuses
    • Mon Land
    • Mon people
    • personal freedom
    • political activities
    • refugee camp
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous November 15, 2002 

Call Number
02-018

Physical Description

54 pages, 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 165 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee shares early childhood memories and family background, from the early retirement forced upon their father, to the transition of living in a remote village and then moving to the city of Moulmein. Emphasis on the importance of education and the challenges within the Burmese education system for determining one’s future are key. For this interviewee, life after school was interrupted in 1988 changed dramatically as participation in the student uprisings made it a necessity to flee the country. These experiences are recalled as the interviewee discusses life in a refugee camp and the difficulties faced in getting to the United States. Finally, we learn of the adjustments to life in Fort Wayne, Indiana and future hope for Burma and family.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • BBC
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • New Mon State party
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Thai-Burma border
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Subjects
    • democracy
    • immigration law
    • refugee camp
    • student political demonstration
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous November 17, 2002 

Call Number
02-019

Physical Description

38 pages; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 141 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood, family relations and early education. Following the 1988 democratic uprisings, the interviewee reveals the struggle to survive in the jungle and refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, sharing experiences for working with the Mon army and working as a student representative for the New Mon State Party. The interviewee relates the experience of getting refugee status and help through the UNHCR and Catholic Charities to come to the United States. Finally, the interviewee talks about life in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Burmese community with the hopes for a free, democratic Burma to return to.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • All Burma Student Democratic Front
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • International Rescue Committee
    • Ivy Tech
    • Jesuit Refugee Service
    • Karen National Union
    • NGO
    • Nishikawa Standard Company
    • Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Occupation Names
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • U Thant
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Maneeloy refugee camp
    • Oakland, California
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Ranong, Thailand
    • Sang Khla Buri
    • Thai-Burma border
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Subjects
    • 8-8-88
    • Burmese literature
    • Burmese military coup
    • Burmese government
    • democracy
    • malaria
    • medical training
    • refugees
    • student political demonstration
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous November 17, 2002 

Call Number
02-020

Physical Description

30 pages, 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 80 minutes; index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee tells us through a translator about childhood and life in a big family, stopping school after the fourth grade to work at home. We learn of the experience of caring for a nephew, which served as the groundwork for the interviewee's own family, though hardly serving as preparation for the separation of the family that is experienced following political demonstrations in Burma. The interviewee shares some of the obstacles and triumphs in becoming a united family, life in student and refugee camps, the eventual move to the United States, and day-to-day life in Fort Wayne.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • Immigration Detention Center
    • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
    • Occupation Names
    • farmer
    • Place Names
    • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Karen state, Burma
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • United States
    • Subjects
    • Buddhist temple
    • Burmese military government
    • democracy
    • Mon history
    • Mon tradition
    • refugee camp
    • refugees
    • student army
    • Thai police
Interviewee
Anonymous November 17, 2002 

Call Number
02-021

Physical Description

21 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 90 minutes, index

Interviewer
Wooley, Deanna

Access Status

Restricted (tapes closed)

Scope and Content Note

The interviewee discusses childhood, family relations and livelihood, including schooling in a hometown village prior to leaving for Moulmein University. Following the 1988 democratic uprisings and upon returning home per the authorities, the interviewee talks about involvement in organizing village demonstrations, the resignation of the local administration, the military coup, and attempts to dissuade support of rebel groups. The interviewee shares experiences in joining the Mon resistance and working as a student representative for the New Mon State Party before getting monetary aid to work on a human rights project independently. Finally, the interviewee reveals how a conference on world affairs provided an opportunity to come to the United States and ultimately become a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

  • Keywords
    • Corporation Names
    • New Mon State Party
    • Open Society Institute
    • Swiss Aid
    • Occupation Names
    • Buddhist monk
    • student
    • Personal Names
    • Nai Shwe Kyin
    • Place Names
    • Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • Rangoon, Burma
    • Three Pagoda Pass
    • Subjects
    • foreign relief workers
    • human rights
    • Mon literature
    • political demonstrations
    • refugee camp