On Saturday I and Biak, the interpreter, took statements from 4 men who've arrived in the last month or so. They had all spent five years in prison for supporting the Chin National Front, and also for leaving the country illegally (by going to India without permission). For all of the terrible things I read about the Junta, it always amazes me that there seems to be no end to the new things I learn. I am also continually amazed at the apparent endurance and will of humans, both body and spirit. There were two interviews for the five, and it took at least four hours altogether. Four hours of listening to the ways they were tortured in interrogation; beaten, burned, strung up from the ceiling, and left without food or water for 6 days. The interrogators used a thick stick to beat them so it caused swelling and inflammation, but no bruises. Still, the stick was often broken.   more »

Its been nearly a month now that I've been in Malaysia. When I look back, it feels like I've been here for ages. Its amazing how quickly new situations can become normal and comfortable. But when I look forward, and realize there are only two weeks left, I feel like I haven't had any time at all, and there is still so much to do.

All of the Chin people I meet here are very thankful, even though I'm not sure that my being here alone is worth such thanks, it still makes me happy. Several have told me that I am the first person to ever come and live with the Chin like I have. I'm not sure if that's true if you include the Chin in Burma and India, but it seems to be true in Malaysia at least. In light of this, I feel like I should be doing more to record my experiences, like I should be keeping some kind of personal journal that if found 50 years from now would inspire movies and books. As it is, everything I've written you've seen here on this site.

Still, I want to share more about the things I've been doing everyday. Last weekend I had a fantastic experience visiting Chin who are working outside KL. But for various reasons I can't really give the details of the trip, perhaps later. The last week, though, has been heavy, to say the least. Squeezing it all into one post, though, is difficult, so I'll have to give you installments, not necessarily in chronological order.   more »

I remember once when I was about ten years old, sitting on the bus on the way to school when a friend sitting next to me started to tell me of some problem she was having. She talked for ages spilling her story, not letting me get a word in edgewise. So I sat listening quietly, and after she finished, she told me that I was a really good listener because I didn't try to offer her advice. But the truth was, the whole time I was sitting anxiously, thinking that when she finished I would have to say something important to make her feel better, and I had no idea what that thing was. I wonder that nothing seems to have changed in the last 16 years.   more »