U Gambira – Hero of the Saffron Revolution

By Terry Evans

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Sayadaw (abbot) U Gambira is the leader of the All-Burma Monks’ Alliance, the group that spearheaded nationwide anti-junta protests in August and September of 2007. More than any of the other courageous men and women who dared to raise their voices against the vicious regime, he can be regarded as the figurehead of the Saffron Revolution. Without his selfless bravery, we would not have seen the images of marching monks that so vividly fired the imagination of observers and supporters around the world, and focused international attention once more on the plight of the Burmese people.
 
It was U Gambira who filled the leadership void created by the early arrest of Min Ko Naing early on in the August fuel protests. In Burma, monks cannot be political leaders; but they can take the moral high ground. U Gambira took the initiative and organised street marches, knowing the danger that such action entailed for his personal safety and that of his family and associates. On Saturday 22 September, a thousand monks marched unimpeded to Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence, linking their protest with that of the Burmese pro-democracy movement.
 
The following week, the extraordinary events of Burma’s Saffron Revolution were broadcast to the world via the internet and news organisations. The sight of 100,000 monks, marching in unison and chanting prayers of loving kindness, beamed out across the world. U Gambira hoped to create a way out for the military leaders; a way to start a dialogue with the pro-democracy leaders and the leaders of ethnic groups, for the unity of the nation.
 
For a number of days, there was no response from the junta and the protests swelled. Predictably, the retaliation, when it came, was swift and brutal. The military government showed that they will do anything to remain in power; but this time they attacked Buddhism itself. Sacred monasteries were looted and destroyed, and thousands of monks and nuns were beaten and arrested. To the alarm of spectators around the world, a vast number of Buddhist clergy seem to have just “disappeared”.
 
In November, after several weeks on the run, U Gambira was arrested and charged with treason for his part in organising the latest anti-regime demonstrations. Before being detained, he made the following warning about the junta’s proposed “roadmap to democracy”:
 
“It will be worse in the future when they [the junta] have laid down their roadmap so they can remain in power forever. It will be a blueprint to oppress us systematically. Once they establish their constitution, the Burmese will suffer for generation after generation.”
 
Little is known of the man himself: in fact, U Gambira is a pseudonym. What we do know about U Gambira is that he adheres strictly to the Buddhist principle of non-violence. More than that, he is a man who is willing to sacrifice his life, if necessary, knowing that others will soon fill his sandals.
 
Pray for the safety of U Gambira, hero of the Saffron Revolution.