Maing-yang Battle(Young Major Tin Aung Myint Oo was awarded the Thiha-Thura medal)
It
was the third week of September 1988, and the place was Maing-shu the
little town between Salween River and Nangh-pan Stream in Southern
Shan Sate. I had just become the battalion commander of IB-6 (Infantry
Battalion – 6) in July that year.
Unfortunately
the country was in turmoil just after the 8-8-88 Uprising when I got my
battalion CO promotion. Even though our battalion then was serving in
Maing-shu the Battalion HQ was in Yangon’s Shwe Pyi Thar.
So
we really had to worry for our families back in Yangon where law and
order had completely broken down after the sudden fall of General Nay
Win’s BSPP Government and the brutal mob anarchy had been going on for
weeks and weeks now.
And
I had to keep in touch constantly with the Battalion HQ by a wireless
radio. Fortunately I had left a radio set in the battalion workshop and
we could use that set for communication between us on the frontline and
the battalion HQ in Yangon.
“How are things? Tell us the situations there. Are there any serious dangers?”
“Post
sentries around the battalion compound day and night. Send out the
patrols too. Absolutely do not let any family out of the compound. Check
thoroughly all the coming in and going out. If necessary, all the ranks
and files back there must be ready to take arms and fight the mob.”
“Don’t lose contact with us on the front line. Take care the security of all our families.”
I
had to keep on telling them constantly on the radio. We also didn’t
dare to turn on that radio set during daytime as the political situation
was so precarious. We dared to turn on that set only at the midnight
when everyone else was sleeping. But at least we knew what was really
going on back then in Rangoon in the middle of the Uprising.
Even
in our Maing-shu the restless town-people had tried to protest.
Anti-government posters were posted and the mob gathered at the town
centre. Their leader was Maing-shu Buddhist Monk U Wimala. But I used
all possible means I had and thus managed to arrest all the protest
leaders and finally quelled the protest demonstrations.
Then
on September 18, 1988 our army staged the coup and took over the
Government and slowly everything calmed down and eventually the whole
country was back to normal. But my peace of mind didn’t last long too
long as the bad news came in at 10 in the morning of September 23.
“CO, CPB forces are attacking Maing-yang,” came in and reported my Chin IO Captain Htan Kyint Htaung.
“Hay,” was the only word I could manage to say back to him.
IB-11
(Infantry Battalion-11) was in Maing-yang and its Commanding Officer
was Major Soe Lwin who was my classmate back in the OTS. We also had
served together almost two years from 1979 to 1981 in the Army Infantry
School at Ba Htoo Town. Not only that, we were also together at the
General Staff College in 1986.
He
was really smart and in whatever school he attended he always finished
first or second in the class. He graduated Second at the General Staff
College and together with the First, Major Soe Win, they became the
first ever battalion Commanding Officers from our batch. At the time of
Second Maing-yang Battle I was just promoted to the CO of IB-6 but he
had been the CO of IB-11 for more than a year.
The whole day we kept our Motorola Radio set on and constantly listened to the situations of the raging battle at Maing-yang.
Army
had established Wireless Relay Stations at the strategic locations in
the Sector east of Salween River and portable Motorola sets with
speaking range of 100/200 miles were issued to the army units in the
area. Our Maing-shu battalion had one of those Motorola sets and we
could communicate with the nearby battalions and thus we knew the
Maing-yang battle situations by the minutes.
By
then I was extremely worried about my friend Major Soe Lwin as we were
aware of the massive strength of CPB forces his battalion was now
fighting off at Maing-yang.
“CO, Maing-yang CO has fallen in the battle!” reported my IO Captain Htan Kyint Htaung.
“Hay,” was the only word I could mutter back.
“How?”
“Enemy’s heavy-weapon, Sir.”
“Oh.”
“Rest in Peace, my friend. Soldier never dies and even if he dies he will not go to Hell!”
One of my close friends and comrades has sacrificed his life for the country and army.
That
night I could not sleep at all. I thought about Just-finished Uprising.
About the periods I and Soe Lwin were together. The close relationship
between our two families. His wife Ah Yee and three children. And the
still-going-on Battle of Maing-yang, etcetera, etcetera. Never ending
thoughts.
Maing-yang
was the little town kept on being tripped over by the Communist Party
of Burma(Myanmar) since CPB started its North-eastern War Region. Being in the
Kengtung Region east of Salween River, Maing-yang and Mainy-yaung were
the remote frontier towns by the Chinese border then controlled by CPB
forces.
And
CPB had frequently tested two border towns and now less than a week
after the 8-8-88 Uprising they attacked Maing-yang again.
Thinking all that I could not fall asleep that night. My question was why did CPB attack Maing-yang again?
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