An interview with a pregnant woman who survived the Pazigyi village airstrike.
It has been more than two months since the aerial bombardment of Pazigyi village which is one of the mass killings of civilians by the military council in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region.
The military council’s bombardment on Pazigyi village on 11 April killed more than 170 civilians, including not only the villagers of Pazigyi village but also residents of nearby villages. Among those killed in the attack were Ma Moh Moh’s husband, her father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Ma Moh Moh herself got wounded and lost her hand. She was eight months pregnant at the time of the airstrike.
The Shanni Voice interviewed Ma Moh Moh who lost her husband, family and hand about the deadly Pazigyi airstrike and how she is coping with life with her two children.
Q: How did Pazigyi village experience the airstrike?
A: I was eight months pregnant at that time. I just arrived back after having an ultrasound scan. The military council bombarded the village. I lost my hand. In addition, they fired shots by helicopter. I could recover the parts of the body of my husband if the junta carried out bombardment alone. They (soldiers) came again and shot everything they saw. The incident resulted in heavy casualties as they shot children. Children fled to the pagoda hills and into the forests. The junta chased and shot the fleeing people. My younger brother and I were on a motorcycle. I had to rush directly to the clinic. I was unable to go home.
Q: How many family members did you lose in the deadly attack?
A: I lost four family members—my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law and my husband. I lost my hand due to the bombing.
Q: Did you recover the bodies of your husband and the family members?
A: I couldn’t find my husband at that time. You can’t even ask them (rescue team). I don’t know whether he is broken into pieces. Until now, I’ve been waiting for my husband to come back.
Q: You were heavily pregnant when the junta bombed the village. You herself lost your hand. Is there any harm to the baby in the womb? How did you deliver your baby?
A: I did not feel my baby move when my hand was going to recover from surgery. I had to undergo hand surgery twice. I don’t know whether the lack of baby movement is linked to anesthesia. I had to deliver my baby through a caesarean section (C-Section) when I was over eight months pregnant. I gave birth to my baby by bracing myself up. There are also many people in the village who have lost their parents, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law and husbands. Every pregnant mother will sympathize with me. At that time, when I am about to give birth, all women want their husbands to be near them. Until now, I have been looking forward to my husband coming home. I brace myself up a lot. I am looking forward to my husband accompanying me when I arrive at the hospital. He did not come back as days passed. Female doctors always tell me to brace myself up.
Q: How do you stay strong as a mother to face the future with two children?
A: I brace myself up a lot for my son. I was not a farmer before I lost my hand. At that time, I earned my living by transplanting paddy. Even though I don’t have a hand, my mind remains strong. I will look after my two sons. With this in mind, I brace myself up.
Q: It’s been more than two months since Pazigyi village was bombed, so how do you feel about it now?
A: Now, if someone asks me what I want to do, I want to see the face of the person who bombed the village by helicopter. How does he feel in this situation? I want to ask whether he has humanity and is a Myanmar race or not. There are so many questions I want to ask this person, whether he committed this incident as he didn’t have a family. I pray that such a tragedy never happens. I am doing prayer alone. I always think about what will happen to myself, day and night. This is not me alone. The people of the entire village who experienced this process are thinking about it. I have to console myself due to my baby. Sometimes I always think if it will be okay if I die. I have to console myself as I have children. I am painful for the dead. The village is small, so everyone is like a relative and family. I am very painful for the dead. Even now, I can’t forget it. I can’t forget it even one day.
Sent by Shanni voice.