Travel

Mattopia Jones and the Mattomic Bomb
18 December 2023 – 15 January 2024

Chapters:   Interview  •  Dream Is Collapsing  •  Karen  •  Happiness  •  Buddhism  •  Land  •  Water  •  Air  •  Music  •  Monkeys  •  Michael Douglas  •  Beach-off  •  Re-entry

Karen

“Such beautiful faces. Beautiful people. Talented artisans. And they’ve found refuge in Thailand.”
Mattopia Jones

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Aung San Suu Kyi

“There are many people who do not even realize what the situation in the Rakhine state alone is like. Let, let alone in the whole of Myanmar. But in these, these days, it’s always quick fixes and instant gratification. Everything has to be done immediately and quickly. But we can’t afford to do that, because we have to cope with the consequences in a long run. Or one quick fix and one short-sighted solution may lead to a whole spill of consequences that is still on us for decades.” — Aung San Suu Kyi, in an interview with NHK, 8 October 2018. At the time, she was Myanmar’s State Counsellor (a rough equivalent to Prime Minister).

Aung San Suu Kyi was (once again) put under house arrest following a military coup staged on 1 February 2021.

As of 21 January 2024, Myanmar is still in a state of civil war, with the U.S. Department of State maintaining a “Level 4: Do not travel” advisory.

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Karen Refugee Village, Chiang Rai, Thailand

The Karen, predominantly Buddhist, are generally speaking a peaceful people in Myanmar, but they have also “waged the world's longest-running insurgency of modern times.” Given the political turbulence that has engulfed Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) for decades, that kind of seeming contradiction is not unusual.

King Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej, a much beloved (and really cool) leader of Thailand who died in 2016, understood the plight of the Karen as they sought refuge in Thailand. He created a safe environment in which they could thrive, all things considered. As part of a tourist day trip around Chiang Rai, visiting their village helps fund their education and provides them with additional financial security through the sale of handcrafted goods. Currently, around 128,000 Karen reside in camps on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

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Mattskrit Notes

What follows is an excerpt from the handwritten journals of Mattopia Jones, painstakingly transcribed from the scribbles and published here with the author’s permission.

“I had the good fortune of visiting Myanmar in 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi was in charge and things seemed to be going well for the people and the nation. I had a great time, saw many wonderful sights and made friends.

“I’m an outsider. I can’t say I truly understand any of this. I was deeply troubled when the Western world turned its back on Aung San Suu Kyi with outcries against her for not taking a stronger stance to protect certain tribes that were under attack. So many awards she had earned were withdrawn by people who had no business passing such swift judgment without understanding all the nuances. What might work in the West does not necessarily work in the East. Different worlds. Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

“I found a quote from her that too many people ignored. In it, she addresses the delicate balance she has to make and the consideraton that needs to be given as a rash decision would have consequences for decades to come. As an outsider, how can anybody possibly think Aung San Suu Kyi would harbor ill will toward any people in Myanmar after all she had been through? With this, I also take issue with Bono’s response; a rare, but serious, bad move on his part.

“Unfortunately, after having spent so many years under house arrest before becoming the nation’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi is once again under house arrest following a military coup in 2021. No doubt a resurgent military was only one of the possibilities weighing on her while the West passed down its judgment.

“And now the West has gone silent.”

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