On site at Pyapon 2

Reaching Pyapon was a challenge indeed. We need to past through four army checkpoints, travelling on pot holes roads and riding on a bus which tested our endurance!

Well, the truth is - it seems no local bus operators are keen to take us on the trip to Pyapon. It's just not worth it. The risk of damage to the bus is very high due to the roads condition and the cost to repair can be higher than the rental itself.

We left the Naga Buddhist Temple at Mingalardon township where the nearby international airport is situated at about 12noon. About three hours later, I heard a loud cranking sound and the the bus driver pull the bus to the side. The bus assistant went below the bus body to check. Then he took some wrenches to make some minor repairs and we were on the move again in about 10 minutes. But the air-conditioner went bonkers and we decided to enjoy the rural fresh air instead by keeping the windows opened.

At about 3.30pm, I heard a louder knocking sound and this time the bus engine just went dead. Luckily the bus was travelling at low speed due to the road conditions.I got a hunch this time it won't be a short loo break! Everybody disembarked from the bus to have some fresh air and a view of green fields on both side of the road.

After trying to repair the engine, the bus driver decided to ask for help from passing tractors to give the bus a jump start. It didn't materialized as the tractors were not in position to "push" the bus. So the male passengers decided to contribute their energy.

Huff and puff!, Huff and Puff! the guys pushes the bus. The bus moves few metres but the engine did not jump starts. We know that we will be late for the handing over event since the first bus that fetched the monks already on the way before us.

Some of the passengers, including the media people jumped into a van that accompanies us and they moved on towards Pyapon. Chin Long, the YMM president and myself wouldn't want to miss the handing over event but it is still about an hour drive to Pyapon. No way we can reach there by foot, in time!

The local guide might have sense our disappointment. She waved a local vehicle to a stop which is actually a pick up truck turned into a passenger vehicle. She asked if the truck is going our direction. Yes, we are in luck as it is going to the same event as us!

So there we goes squeezing ourselves onto the truck. There were already five passengers at the back and two in the driver's compartment. Another nine of us jumped in to the back and it cramped like sardines and Chin Long had to sit on the platform of the truck. Another local guide sat with the driver and his assistant.

It took us an hour of "sardined" ride before we finally reached the community centre in Pyapon at about 5.05pm local time. The ceremony just began after a video show on the cyclone Nargis disaster and the call for support towards rehabilitation of the victims.

After some chanting of the sutras the presentation of donations were done by the Myanmar Minister of Religion to the monks. The usual group photography session follows and the Minister took a quick exit.

We left at 6.05pm on the same bus which was repaired with the assistance of some local mechanical support. While crossing an overhead bridge only then we notice the make shift medical tents that the local authorities did not inform or shows us.

While on the way out from Pyapon town we saw the people waiting at the road side for food and donations. We did not notice any of this on the way in to Pyapon because we tooked a different route.

At about 10.00pm we arrived at the outskirts of Yangon and were asked to change bus. Our bus was unable to go into the city due to some problems with the front lights. We reached the city centre at 10.30pm to have our dinner.

By 11.15pm local time we were already at the hotel to have our rest. The local organiser already pre checked in our room. Chin Long and myself already on the move for 18 hours since 5.00am Thailand time (Myanmar time is half hour later than Thailand) We had tooked a plane, a bus and a truck to finish our task for the day.

On site at Pyapon

The kids and adults were at both side of the village road. Some clothed, some were on bared back. All of them were slim or even skiny. Their faces shows desperation, sun burned and tired. They were waiting for handouts from passing vehicles....

It was dusk, about 6.30pm and the scene was along the road few kilometres from Pyapon, a town about 75km from Yangon. As nightfall creeps in, I can only see dimly light of small lamp in filmsy thatched huts. I was looking out from the bus travelling back to the city after joining a Buddhist delegation from Thailand to deliver reliefs to the affected people and monks in the Pyapon district.

If it was during a better time, I would have enjoyed the laid back scenery of paddy fields; water buffaloes grazing the grass; ducks swimming on the river and even swines roaming free on the farmer's land. But how can I?

I smelled of an odour which the local guide told us was the results of many dead victims of the Nargis cyclone. The bodies in that area already been cleared but low level of rotting smell is still prevalent.

Those on the roadside were having high hopes that each passing vehicle will offer them whatever food or drinking water the occupants had. All of us cleared whatever pack of biscuits we had in our backpack and the snack pack given to us for our four and a half hours journey back to Yangon. Some even hand out the "kyat" currency in their possessions....

Along the roads we can see small attap thatched huts built by the victims whose houses were washed away by the cyclone. Some of the huts are still surrounded by swampy waters. Thinking that the area was recently surrounded with dead bodies, what choice do they have but to keep on surviving!

These observations were possible after I was invited by my Thai Buddhist friends to participate in the handing over of reliefs to the monks and cyclone victims in the Pyapon district. On top of that, it was intended to study and evaluate the possible future programs to help the cyclone victims. Since it will be beneficial to widen the scope of support, I asked the president of Young Malaysians Movement, Ng Chin Long to join in this delegation. YMM, a chinese-based youth organisations had responded positively to the call to help the cyclone victims.

Both of us travelled to Bangkok one day earlier on June 3 to join the Thai delegation early flight to Yangon the next day. The Thai delegation was led by the Rector of the Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, Most Venerable Dhammakosajarn. Members of the delegation includes the secretary general of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, Phallop Thaiarry, president of World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth, Anurut Vongvanij and Maechee Sansanee of the Sathian Dhammasathan.

The handing over of the relief supplies was held at community centre in Pyapon the same day we landed at the airport. Present to received the supplies was the chief monk of Pyapon district and other senior Myanmar monks. Also in attendance was Myanmar's Minister for Religion and local officials. The Minister was asked to offer these donations as dana to the monks, meaning that the relief supplies will be taken care by the monks and will be distributed to 278 temples throughout the Pyapon district.

The relief supplies includes 10,000 pieces of robes, rice, biscuits, drinks, cooking utensils, water filter machines and others. The donations were worth about 7 million Baht and was publicly announced and registered in front of the monks, officials overseas delegation and members of the media from Thailand and Myanmar.


Even though we were not brought to the main disaster area like Bogalay, being in Pyapon itself is already a breakthrough. Many relief groups were only allowed to hand over the donations in and around Yangon or even at the airport itself, without even going into disaster areas. To reach Pyapon we had to undergo at least four sentry checks by the army and travelled on some roads (if I can called it as one) that have huge pot holes and it is much more like riding a horse than sitting on a bus. That's why a normal journey of 75km that's takes only less than an hour say in Malaysia, took us about 4 and 1/2 hours to reach Pyapon. That's a total of 9 hours ride to hand over the stuffs that lasted one hour.

Anyhow, we were able to reach Pyapon is due to the early arrangement by the Ven. Dhammakosajarn with a local Myanmar contact in Yangon who oversees the cyclone rehabilitation efforts for Pyapon district.

This hand over is only a beginning. There still much to be done for the cyclone victims. One of the early response will be establishing a system to support about 400Nargis orphans whom will be housed at the Naga Buddhist Temple, nearby the international airport.

I think once the main disaster areas had been cleared of major signs of destruction, more relief teams will be able to go deeper into the Irrawady Delta to help the victims. Then, more work will be required to help the people.

Petrol Cyclone

The first news I received after arriving from Myanmar tonight was the petrol price hike from $1.92 to $2.70 per litre. This "scary" news was conveyed to me by the taxi driver that fetch me from the airport. He also told me there will be a boycott by the airport limousine taxi drivers on Friday.

This petrol "cyclone" will surely affect millions in this country just as Cyclone Nargis tortured many in Myanmar. More information on my trip to survey and deliver humanitarian aids to Myanmar later....

Myanmar Relief 3

It's already a month since Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar.

The world community responded with relief work immediately after the disaster and the Buddhist community in Malaysia also provided the necessary support by raising funds to be channelled to various Buddhist centers in Myanmar.

The Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia raised RM 60,000 for the cyclone victims and the funds will be utilized to provide relief work in Myanmar. The vice president of BMSM, Quah Chi Boon is already in Myanmar to coordinate the relief work with the support of a local Buddhist organisation. BMSM also manage to raise RM 80,000 for the earthquake relief in Sichuan, China.


Another organisation that provides relief support via their counter part in Myanmar was the Subang Jaya Buddhist Association. SJBA raises RM 75,000 from its devotees. Resident monk Bhante Nyanaramsi will personally travel to Myanmar to deliver the contribution to the founder of the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy Sitagu Sayadaw Ashin Nyanissara in the Irrawaddy delta.


At the Sri Jayanti Buddhist Temple, Sentul Kuala Lumpur, the abbot Most Venerable B. Saranankara Maha Thera (pic, seated at the left)lead the devotees in raising funds and food for the Cyclone Nargis victims. The Most Venerable Saranankara, who is also the Chief Adikarana Nayaka Maha Thera of Malaysia was in Myanmar last week to deliver the relief assistance at a village in Myanmar last week. He is expected to travel to Myanmar again to continue relief work there.

There is still much to be done for the Cyclone Nargis victims. Continue your flow of compassion and keep on chipping in the funds for the rehabilitation work.

Patin for the weekend

Having a short break at a small town in Pahang provides me the opportunity to avoid the hustle and bustle of city life.

Mentakab is a small town in Pahang situated in between Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan, about two hours drive from the nation's capital. The journey will provide sights of the only casino city of Malaysia, Genting Highlands, during a clear sunny day. Snaking and climbing along the once notorious Karak Highway, we passed thru fresh views of Janda Baik and Selesa Hillhomes and the Dusun Eco Resort. These places will provide city dwellers a choice to get out from the dusty and noisy surroundings in the Klang Valley.

Half way the journey, if your stomach are giving you signals it is time for gastronomical fill-up, have one or two of the famous baked meat buns (siew pow) at Karak.

For those who loves animals, visit the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary near Lanchang. Visitors can feed and ride the elephants at the center which are managed by the Wildlife Department. For those who adores these elephants so much, you can even have a swim with these mammals and give a good scrubs on their bodies!

While cost of living is also on the rise in Mentakab, it was not too steep though. Feeding 10 persons with 8 dishes for a Chinese sit down dinner was a steal at RM120, that includes a medium size patin, a popular freshwater fish in that area.

But then, it was not really a quiet weekend when you have a dozen of boisterous kids running around a Chinese new village house.