Kyaw Min Khaing

The story of the two brothers from Pyin Sa Lu

By Mangte

Kyaw Myint khine and his family owned a family store in Pyin Sa Lu. He is my friend who had attended the University of East Yangon with me. He graduated B. Sc. (Physics) in the year 2005 and returned to his hometown, Pyin Sa Lu, which is an island located four hours by boat from Labutta.

My friend, Kyaw Myint Khine was wearing long sleeve shirt when I met him. Later, I realized that his body was injured and his skin has peeled off. I started asking him about his well being and how is family has been doing? He mentioned, he hasn’t seen them since the day of the Cyclone.

Mangte & Kyaw Min Khaing

Their lives were peaceful in a beautiful town of 5,000 people and 2,000 homes. When Cyclone Nargis hit them, a 15 feet high waves swept away about 4,300 people and only about 300 people estimated to have survived the Cyclone. Most of the survivors made it by taking refuge in a nearby Hospital building and police staff quarters. The rest of residences were swept away by the wind and flood.

Kyaw Myint Khine felt numb and without any emotional response for three days after Cyclone. He felt like waking up from a horrible nightmare. He vividly remembered the whole family living in fear and quickly went to the second floor of their building and then he could not remember much except he saw that there was no more town. All were destroyed. He was naked for two days and then he found some clothes to cover his body while he was wondering about without food. He lived among corpses and carcasses without any food for three days. After that, he secretly get on a boat which he found heading towards Labutta. He took shelter in a Buddhist temple and his own brother found him there while he was having a meal.

Kyaw Myint Khine physical and psychological condition is still not well. He is so thin, literally skin and bone. He was repeating to me the event of the day from the 2pm of that day. His mind is full of the Cyclone imagery.

While he was talking to me, he looked fearful when he hear the sound of wind. I remembered trying to change the subject matters with him to talking about a Myanmar celebrity, Kyaw Hein. Such topics normally lightening any atmosphere in a typical Myanmar conversation but he went back to talking about the Cyclone.

Then I shared about the man who has the power to stop any storm and even any Cyclone. He came even overcome death. His name is Jesus Christ. I prayed to Jesus that his trouble will be taken away and he will be healed.

I hope to meet him again before I leave for Bokalay on Sunday. I prayed that his heart will be open wide like a door to love of Jesus who can healed him. Kyaw Myint Khine is only one among millions of survivors who have been severely traumatized by the Cyclone that hit Myanmar. Many of the volunteers on our team have been affected too by fear but has not taken courage to help others. May God turn many victims into volunteers of love for Myanmar.

His brother, Zaw Naing Linn, lost his wife and two daughters in the disasters. They lived in the same area. Without the helped from travelers, the two brothers got to Yangon to look for relatives where they can take shelter. They had no close family and relatives anymore thus they have to move from house to house every week.

"Although I came to Yangon with my brother Kyaw Min Khaing, I returned to my hometown twice since the destruction in order to look for my family. I hope to find their bodies if they were dead but I still could not even find their bodies. Then I looked for them in refugees and relief camps in various places hoping to find them but I did not find them. It has been a month since the Cyclone hit, I believe they are dead and I began to pray according to Buddhist culture for my family" said Zaw Naing Linn.

Zaw Naing Linn

Zaw continues, "I cannot enter my hometown any longer as the stench of the decaying corpses and carcasses were so strong. Even if you wish to help the survivors there, I am concern for your health. I remembered when during my visit back to my hometown after the disaster, I saw many survivors looking for their family. There was no more houses left in that town, all destroyed. I can't handle this anymore. I know if I keep going back to the scene of destruction, I will go crazy really soon. I will stop looking for my parents, my wife and my children. If I still hope to see them, I will be frantically looking for them everywhere and it is hurting me every moment. My brother Kyaw Myint Khaing and I are so afraid that we will become mentally ill due to this trauma if we keep going looking for them. I will take time to just rest and recover from this trauma. I can't think about what to do next or my future."

Finally, Zaw pleaded with me, "There are many several hundred survivors from my hometown who had no access to come to place like Yangon. They still have no food and no where to go. I hope you can help these helpless people".

Kyaw Myint Khine and his brother Kyaw Myint Khaing lost of their 20 family members in the recent Cyclone Disaster. They lost their parents, brothers, sisters, their wives and children all in front of their own eyes. They were helpless as they watch the flood sweeping them away. He said tears in his eyes, "my heart was broken as I saw them taken away by the flood. I couldn't hear their cries because of the noises from the wind was so strong. When the light came in the morning, I looked for them again but I could no longer find them."

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Levi spoke to Kyaw Myint Khaing.

After hearing the Kyaw's brother story about the destruction of their family and the town of Pyin Sa Lu, I spoke to Kyaw on the phone. Kyaw told me on the phone, "if you really want to help me, I would rather you help the other survivors from my hometown. At least I have food to eat in Yangon but there are many who have nothing until now, still waiting for help to arrive". When I heard this, it broke my heart. This victim of the Cyclone who lost all his family and belonging is pleading with me not for himself but for others who are in worse scenario than him.