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Kneeling before a group of heavily armed police officers in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng pleaded with them to spare “the children” and take their own lives instead.
The image of the Catholic nun in a simple white habit, with outstretched hands, pleading with the forces of the country’s new junta as they prepared to suppress a protest, has gone viral and earned her praise in the Buddhist-majority country. .
“I got down on my knees … begging them not to shoot and torture the children, but to shoot me and kill me,” he told AFP.
His act of bravery in the city of Myitkyina came yesterday as Myanmar struggles with the chaotic aftermath of the military overthrow of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
As protests have advanced demanding the return of democracy, the junta has steadily intensified its use of force, using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
Protesters took to the streets of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, yesterday wearing helmets and homemade shields.
When the police began to gather around her, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng and two other nuns pleaded with them to leave.
“The police were chasing them to arrest them and I was worried about the children,” she said.
It was at that moment that the 45-year-old nun fell to her knees.
Moments later, as she begged to hold back, police began firing at the crowd of protesters behind her.
“The children panicked and ran to the front … I couldn’t do anything, but I was praying for God to save and help the children,” he said.
First she saw a man shot to the head fall dead in front of her, then felt the sting of tear gas.
“I felt like the world was falling apart,” he said.
“I am very sad about what happened while I was begging you.”
A local rescue team confirmed to AFP that two men were shot dead at the scene during the confrontation, although it did not confirm whether real bullets or rubber bullets were used.
Today, one of the deceased, Zin Min Htet, was placed in a glass coffin and transported in a golden hearse covered in white and red flowers.
Mourners raised three fingers in symbol of resistance, while a musical ensemble of metal musicians, percussionists and a piper in impeccable white uniforms led the funeral procession.
Kachin, Myanmar’s northernmost state, is home to the Kachin ethnic group and the site of a years-long conflict between armed ethnic groups and the military.
Tens of thousands have fled their homes to displacement camps across the state, and Christian groups are among the organizations that help them.
Yesterday was not Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng’s first encounter with the security forces; on February 28 he made a similar plea for clemency, walking slowly towards the police in riot gear, kneeling and begging them to stop.
“I already believed myself dead since February 28,” she said about the day she made the decision to confront the armed police.
Yesterday, she was joined by her fellow sisters and the local bishop, who surrounded her as she pleaded for mercy for the protesters.
“We were there to protect our sister and our people because her life was at risk,” Sister Mary John Paul told AFP.
The city has seen frequent repressions by the authorities since the coup, including a violent dispersal of peaceful teachers last month that sent several into hiding.
So far, more than 60 people have died in anti-coup demonstrations across the country, according to the monitoring group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners.
The fear runs deep for Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, but she said she must be brave and will continue to stand up for “the children.”
“I cannot stand and watch idly, see what is happening in front of my eyes while all of Myanmar is in mourning,” he said.
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