In Myanmar culture, when a baby is born, parents often consult monks or astrologers to read the baby’s future. They hope their child will have a good, safe life. If the reading predicts misfortune, parents try to avert this fate through rituals, such as offering flowers to a pagoda, making offerings to a certain tree, or even changing the baby’s name.
This is exactly what Daw Aye (alias) did when she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Ma Nwe (alias), who is now part of the ongoing revolution in Myanmar.
“After I gave birth to her, we went to the monastery to learn about her fate, and we carefully chose her name so she would have the best possible future,” Daw Aye recalled.
Everything was fine until Ma Nwe married at a young age. Daw Aye blamed herself for allowing it, but felt relieved when Ma Nwe had two children and settled into a happy family life in Yangon, unaware that a storm was coming.
Daw Aye said, “My daughter was never interested in politics during the democratic years. She was busy raising her two children.”
Then, in February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing’s army staged a coup against the civilian government. Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratic icon of Myanmar, was jailed again. People from across the country, including Ma Nwe, took to the streets to protest the coup and demand the release of their beloved leader. “The more she protested, the more she understood and the more she hated the military regime,” Daw Aye said.
When the military responded with brutal crackdowns, many young people began turning toward armed resistance. Ma Nwe was one of them.
In her 50s, Daw Aye knew the risks well. “I tried to stop her. I told her it was enough to know about politics, that she didn’t need to go further. But I couldn’t stop her.”
On the day Ma Nwe left for basic military training in a liberated area, she signed the divorce papers and handed them to her husband. She left her youngest daughter with Daw Aye and told her mother that the children’s father could claim custody if he wished. Daw Aye felt like she was going mad hearing her daughter’s decision.
“As a mother, I didn’t want her to take such a risk. But as a citizen, I knew this country’s future depended on young people like her,” Daw Aye said. “In my unconscious mind, I supported her. But consciously, I didn’t want her to go.”
In 2022, Daw Aye received a call that her daughter had been arrested by military intelligence while returning to town after finishing the training. She was later sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
When Daw Aye visited Ma Nwe in prison, she was shocked. The room was cramped with up to 50 prisoners on a concrete floor. The water was dirty. Many prisoners suffered skin infections. Medical supplies were unreliable, and bringing medicine from outside took ages. “When it’s hot, it burns. When it rains, they can’t dry their clothes. In winter, the floor is freezing,” Daw Aye said.
If her daughter at a young age suffers in this condition, she wondered how Ah May Suu (Mother Suu) would manage such conditions in the past and the present state at her age.
“I don’t know. Maybe it is different for someone at her level,” she said.
However, even Daw Aung San Suu Kyi suffers like others who have been jailed by Min Aung Hlaing’s regime. Inside sources say that she has struggled with poor conditions and the harsh weather, especially after the recent devastating earthquake, and has been denied adequate medication, according to recent reports.
Every time Daw Aye visited Ma Nwe, her daughter eagerly asked about her children. Then she fell quiet and withdrawn. “I’m a mother. I knew how she felt just by looking at her,” Daw Aye said. She avoided talking about the children to keep her daughter strong.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, since the coup began, 22,175 political prisoners have been detained. Families like Daw Aye’s endure enormous hardship while supporting their loved ones behind bars.
“Before my daughter was arrested, I prayed for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s release. Now, I pray for my daughter because I am all she has. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has the blessings of the whole country,” Daw Aye said.
It has been over three years since Ma Nwe’s arrest. She has spent three birthdays in prison. Daw Aye counts the days until her release while also worrying about her son’s recent conscription summon letter.
“I congratulate the citizens who survive what this regime has done,” Daw Aye said. The older generation knows the military’s cruelty. The younger generation understands it. And the newest generation continues to fight it.
Daw Aye and Ma Nwe are not blaming their astrologer for failing to foresee this tragedy, but instead face reality head-on, just like their beloved leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has taught so many to do, taking matters into their own hands rather than complaining about fate. In doing so, the chains will be broken and families can be reunited. Only then will all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Ma Nwe, be free. As Daw Aye tells her daughter, “Every day is a hope.”
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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s democratic and political icon, turned 80 on June 19, 2025. She has inspired millions of Myanmar people to reject and resist the regime. As the world sent tributes on her birthday, we remember her with this story.
