Working Paper No.

10:7

Material on Mogyo, Jos Rizal


Myanmar Literature Project

_,:c:.ec~,.

Hans-Bernd Zllner (ed.)
Passauer Beitrge zur Sdostasienkunde
Working Papers
ISSN 1435-5310
Alle Rechte Lehrstuhl fr Sdostasienkunde, Universitt Passau 2007
Druck: Universitt Passau
Printed in Germany
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
1
Contents
About the Contributors.....................................................................................................................3
I. INTRODUCTION (Hans-Bernd Zllner) ..............................................................................5
Presenting a Tragic Asian Hero ...................................................................................................5
Burmese Days - Martyrs Days....................................................................................................6
Reflections and Questions............................................................................................................9
About this Volume .....................................................................................................................13
II. MATERIAL ON MOGYO, JOSE RIZAL .........................................................................14
1. Kyaw Hoe, Bibliographical Information (Translation: Khin Maung Saw)........................14
2. Moe Hein Zaw: Book Review (Translation: Aung Kyaw Moe) ........................................16
Chapter (1)..............................................................................................................................16
Chapter (2): The Student Life ................................................................................................17
Chapter (3): The Overseas Education ....................................................................................18
Chapter (4): Learning Higher Education................................................................................19
Chapter (5): Noli Me Tangere................................................................................................21
Chapter (6): A Melancholic Love Story.................................................................................23
Chapter (7): Second Expatriation...........................................................................................23
Chapter (8): The Reign of Greed............................................................................................25
Chapter (9): A Struggle between Violence and Peace ...........................................................26
Chapter (10) How Rizal Let the World Know about the Philippines ....................................26
Chapter (11): The Blistering Lava from the Volcano ............................................................27
Chapter (12): Coming Back to Sacrifice His Life..................................................................29
Chapter (13): The Execution..................................................................................................30
Review....................................................................................................................................32
2.1 Commentary to Moe Hein Zaws Report by Heinrich Geiger ............................................33
3. Daw Khin Hla Myint: Book Review on Jos Rizal (Translation and Commentaries: Khin
Maung Saw) .......................................................................................................................35

Chapter (1)..............................................................................................................................35
Chapter (2)..............................................................................................................................37
Chapter (3)..............................................................................................................................39
Chapter (4)..............................................................................................................................40
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
2
Chapter (5)..............................................................................................................................41
Chapter (6)..............................................................................................................................44
Chapter (7)..............................................................................................................................46
Chapter (8)..............................................................................................................................47
Chapter (9)..............................................................................................................................48
Chapter (10)............................................................................................................................49
Chapter (11)............................................................................................................................50
Chapter (12)............................................................................................................................52
Chapter (13)............................................................................................................................53
Analysis:.................................................................................................................................55
4. U Thet Tun: Report on the Translation of the Biography of Jos Rizal ............................56
4.1. Commentary on the report by U Thet Tun by Dietrich Schilling .....................................59
5. Nagani News, Book Review by Ye Ye Tauk (Translation: Khin Maung Saw) ................60
6. Nagani News, My Last Farewell (Translation: Khin Maung Saw) ...................................62
7. Ba Choe, U Wizara.............................................................................................................70
8. Khin Maung Saw, A Comparative Study of Rizals Biography, English Version written by
Russell & Rodriguez and the Burmese Version written by Moe Gyo (U Ohn Khin) ........72
III. Appendices ........................................................................................................................86
SHORT INFORMATION on the MAKING of the BOOK REPORTS ....................................86
INFORMATION about COMMENTARIES on BOOK REPORTS.........................................88


Mogyo, Jose Rizal
3
About the Contributors

Kyaw Hoe studied Library Science at Yangon University and got his MA degree with a
work on the Nagani Book Club. He later retired from the library field and became a
merchant.

Khin Maung Saw was born in 1946 in Yamethin, Central Burma and grew up in
Rangoon as the third child of four of U Saw Maung (Superintendent of jail) and
Daw Khin Khin (Highschool Teacher). His parents were Buddhist Arakanese
(Rakhaings). He went to St. Johns Diocesan Boys School in Rangoon, studied at
the University of Rangoon and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1965.
He obtained the Diplomas in German Language (Ordinary and Advanced Levels) in
1966 and 1967 from the Institute of Foreign Languages, Rangoon. He was selected
as a Government State Scholar to the then German Democratic Republic in
October, 1968, finished Master of Science degree (Diploma) in October 1972.
After that he went back to Burma and was appointed as the Head of Department,
Quality Control, first in the Peoples Porcelain Factory in Tharawaddy and later in
the Peoples Glass factory in Thanlyin. In the meantime, he worked as part time
lecturer at the Rangoon Institute of Technology. Later, he resigned from the
government post and worked as a senior teacher at the International High School in
Rangoon. In 1981 he was offered a job from the former G.D.R to work as a lecturer
in the Burmese Department, Southeast Asian Institute, Humboldt University,
Berlin. He worked there until 1994. Past that, he worked as a Scholar in Residence,
Southeast Asian Studies, Ohio University, Ohio, U.S.A, from 1994 to 1996 to guide
a paper A Comparative Study between the Burmese and Indonesian Armies, from
the National Liberation Army to the Ruling Class. Later, he was sent by the
German Development Service to Uganda (6 years) and after that to Papua New
Guinea (3 years). - He is married to a Filipina, Erlinda Saw nee Abad since 1984,
who used to work as a lecturer in the Philippines Studies at the Humboldt
University, Berlin. While he was writing the papers on Dr. Jose Rizal, the National
Hero of the Philippines, he received a good assistance from his wife.

Moe Hein Zaw received his B.A and M.A in Myanmar Language from Yangon
University and is working on his Ph.D. Thesis. He is working as an instructor for
Burmese language.

Heinrich Geiger is Head of the Asia Department of the Catholic Academic Exchange
Service (KAAD) and has edited several publications on Asia.

Khin Hla Myint is a retired school teacher living in Yangon.

Wunnakyawhtin U Thet Tun was born in 1926 in Yangon and educated in Burma,
Japan and England and gained a B.A. from the University of Yangon, and a B.Sc. in
Economics from the University of London. He worked 25 years in the Ministry of
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
4
Planning. After 19 years of service at the head of the Ministry's Central Statistical
and Economics Department, he was named Ambassador to France in 1975 with
concurrent accreditation to Switzerland and Spain. In 1979 he was invited to the
Unesco Secretariat as head of its Asia and Pacific division. Retiring in 1986, he
currently lives in Yangon serving as director of the Tun Foundation Bank, a part-
time member of the Myanmar Historical Commission, and President of the Japan
Alumni of Myanmar Association. - U Thet Tun has written numerous books and in
1998 won the National Literary Prize.

Dietrich Schilling born in 1945, studied international literature in Hamburg and
London. Since 1973 he has worked as an editor at the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
(North German Broadcasting) in Hamburg. His special fields of interest are
literature, international development policy, and (natural) sciences. He has
undertaken extended journeys to Southeast-Asia including Burma. He also
published a book on the advantage and disadvantage of international development
projects (Wer brennt, kann entznden. Neue Wege zum Engagement mit dem
Sden. Peter Hammer Verlag, 1996).

Georg Noack, born 1977 in Hannover (Germany) studied at Hamburg University and
Humboldt University Berlin (South-East Asian studies, ethnology) specialising
himself in Burma studies. He perfected his language skills in Myanmar and in 2005
received his MA from the Humboldt University with a thesis on the exposition of
gender in Burmese novels. He is now working on his Ph.D.
























Mogyo, Jose Rizal
5
I. INTRODUCTION (Hans-Bernd Zllner)

Presenting a Tragic Asian Hero
Nagani started its series of publications with a biography of U Lun (a) Thakin Kodaw Hmine.
1

Only one other life story of a Burmese person was later published - and this was a special case, a
book on Sao Mon Hla, the Shan princess who became the wife of King Anawratha of Bagan. It
can be assumed that this latter book served the special purpose of Naganis goal of promoting
unity between the races of Burma.
2
On the other hand, the biography of the leading Burman
author tried to connect the book club with Burmas literary as well as nationalist traditions.
The book introduced here is the first in a long series of biographies published by Nagani and its
sister enterprise, Tun Ayes Burma Publishing House. They connected the Burmese struggle for
independence with international developments. A list of the personalities who were portrayed
demonstrates the broad horizon, both geographically and historically, which the publishers
deemed proper to illuminate the fate of their country.
Listed in chronological order biographies on the following great men were published
3
: Jos
Rizal - May 1938; Atatrk - February 1939; Lenin - April 1939; Asoka - August 1939; De Valera
- September 1939; Lincoln - November 1939; Napoleon - October 1940 (MLP); Roger Casement
- Beginning of 1941. Taking into account the fact that one of the first published Nagani books
dealt with the writings of the Chinese national leader Sun Yat Sen, one can see a pattern of
widening concentric circles starting in Asian countries close to the current revolutionary situation
of Burma and extending in space and time to Europe, America, and even earlier historical
periods.
There were many other books on the lives of other men, and some women as well. Most of them
are presented as positive models
4
and there is a focus on participants in the Irish independence
struggle. But Jos Rizal and the other abovementioned celebrities excels because of the aura of
perfection evident both through their achievements and, in Rizals case, their tragic fate. Rizal
was a perfect role model because he excelled in so many arts and sciences and at the same time
sacrificed his life for the sake of his country and his people. Through his achievements as a
polymath, he embodied what Nagani tried to promote in the field of intellectual and literary

1
See Working Paper 2 of this series.
2
The book on the Shan princess was published in November 1940. Another book from the same author, Ohn Myint,
on Our Shan State, was also published.
3
BPH stands for Tun Ayes Burma Publishing House.
4
One exception to the rule is a book published in October 1939 entitled Who is Wrong Hitler or Chamberlain?.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
6
education. As a fighter for justice and freedom he personified absolute personal commitment to
his aims and ideals. In this regard, his life story fitted particularly well into nationalist fever in
Burma during the 1930s later.
Burmese Days - Martyrs Days
Jos Rizal suffered the fate of a martyr. He was tried before a Spanish court-martial for rebellion,
sentenced to death and executed on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35. Rizal had never been a
political activist in the narrow sense of the word. He was what would be called today a social
activist and reformer. The organisation he founded in 1892, La Liga Filipina, was a very civic
society quite different from the Dobama Asiayone which at the time of the publication of Rizals
biography in early 1938 had started heavy agitation against the British administration including
organizing a strike of workers in the countrys oil industry. These events were closely monitored
by the Nagani News. The issue of this periodical in which the biography of Rizal was announced
1

contained one article by Thakin Lay Maung, back then president of the organisation, and an
article claiming that the crisis in the oilfields in Upper Burma was a world crisis.
2

It was this belief in the global crisis of colonialism, the forces of capitalism which supported it
and the firm conviction of being a victim of unjust and harsh suppression which predominantly
connected the Nagani editors with Rizals story. To fight suppression, it was necessary to have
sacrifice - in other words, the readiness to become a martyr. This keenness for enduring the
consequences of fighting oppression can be regarded as a golden thread running through Burmese
and Myanmar history since the first attempts to strive for Burmese self-determination, beyond the
loss of the countrys sovereignty, up to the present day.
The first public manifestation of this attitude is connected with Burmas National Day, which
commemorates the beginning of the students strike of 1920. Student leader Ko Ba U expressed
the determination to fight the authorities on the issue of the planned University Act in a speech to
his fellow students on the slopes of the Shwedagon Pagoda:
Either the authorities yield or we die fighting. I see by your faces that everyone wants to fight to the
last. Are we determined? (Cries of Yes.) Then stand by one another and win together!
3


1
See below, pp. 60-61.
2
See vol. 1 of this series.
3
The English text of the speech is taken from a MA thesis on the Burmese students movement between 1920 and
1940 submitted at Rangoon University by Aye Kyaw in 1963 and reprinted in Hans-Bernd Zllner (2000) Birma
zwischen Unabhngigkeit Zuerst Unabhngigkeit Zuletzt. Birmas Unabhngigkeitsbewegungen und ihre Sicht
der zeitgenssischen Welt am Beispiel der birmanisch-deutschen Beziehungen zwischen 1920 und 1948. Hamburg,
Lit: 505-507.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
7

This dramatic expression is rooted in Buddhist teachings of giving up self-interest.
1
ThisThe
religious connotation is underlined by the fact that before the strike some students took an oath
on the Shwedagon Pagoda.
2
The combining of Buddhist background with national agitation is
underlined by the influence of U Ottama and other monks on the Burmese nationalist
movements.
3
U Ottama would be the first to suffer from the consequences of his attacks on the
Government. He was imprisoned for his seditious speeches in June, 1921, for the first time,
causing laypeople as well as monks to increase their nationalistic activities. One of the monks, U
Wisara, died in prison on September 19, 1929, after a hunger strike lasting 166 days.
U Wisara became known as the first martyr (azani, derived from a Pali word) of the Burmese
struggle for independence.
4
Others followed in the turbulent events of 1938 and 1939. At a
demonstration before Government House on December 22, 1938, a student named Aung Gyaw
was beaten by the police. Three days later he died. On February 10, the police opened fire on
participants in demonstrations in Mandalay which were coordinated by a Sangha organisation. 17
people died, among them 7 monks.
From that time on, evoking the memory of the martyrs became an integrated part of the fight
against the British and their Burmese allies - whether real or alleged. From 1940 onwards arzani
days were proclaimed to commemorate Aung Gyaws and the Mandalay victims deaths.
5
After
Burma was formally granted independence by the Japanese after their conquest of Burma on
August 1, 1943, a statue for U Wisara was erected. On October 2
nd
of the same year, the statue
was inaugurated. Aung San, the War Minister in the Burmese Government, held a speech
praising the monks irrepressible spirit, patriotism [and] mind like an immortal jewel. Aung
San continued: I want us to, even if we are the last ones remaining, from today to develop this
martyr spirit.
6
Here, Aung San followed a turn of phrase resembling the wording used in Ba Us
1920 speech.

1
The Burmese word for sacrifice means literally to throw away self-interest.
2
Aye Kyaw (1993) The Voice of Young Burma. Ithaca, Cornell University. In the 1980s, a stele was erected on the
Shwedagon platform documenting this event.
3
For details see Maung Maung (1980) From Sangha to Laity. Nationalist Movements of Burma 1920-1940. New
Delhi, Manoha: 14-32.
4
See the assessment of Ba Choe below, p. 71-72.
5
Maung Maung 1980: 202.
6
Quotations taken from Gustaaf Houtman (1999) Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics. Aung San Suu Kyi and
the National League of Democracy. Tokyo, Institute for the Study of Language & Cultures of Asia and Africa: 250.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
8
Aung Sans speech of 1943 was not the only one in which he indirectly hinted at his own fate.
1

After his assassination on July 18, 1947, together with eight other men who had assembled in the
building outside of which student Aung Gyaw was fatally wounded, he was identified as an azani
who had sacrificed his life for the whole nation.
2
In retrospect, his death was seen as the
inevitable fate of a Buddhist saint. His death was separated from the freedom struggle. At the
time of his death, Aung San had negotiated the conditions of independence with the British and
had also established himself as the countrys paramount leader. The men who assassinated him
and the members of his cabinet acted on the order of a Burmese political rival.
July 19 was declared a public holiday and named Martyrs Day (azani ne). Through his death as a
martyr, Aung San was elevated into the realm of modern Burmas mythology. This myth
influenced the history of independent Burma heavily. The holiday commemorating the death of
the countrys foremost martyr reminded the people of his legacy, which could be interpreted in
different ways. Because the course of Burmas independence never developed into a success
story, this inheritance could be understood as a still unfulfilled promise which calls for
deliverance.
This became very clearly apparent when Aung Sans daughter, Suu Kyi, entered the political
scene during the crisis of 1988. In her first great public speech under a large picture of her father
at the Shwedagon Pagoda, she dubbed the fight of the people against the government the second
struggle for independence.
3
In addition, she praised the students for their willingness to
sacrifice their lives and asked the audience to observe a minute of silence as a sign of respect for
those who lost their lives in the demonstrations and in order to share the merit of their deeds
among all of us.
4

Almost one year later, on July 20, 1989, one day after that years Martyr Day, Suu Kyi was put
under house arrest. Since then, she has developed into a martyr herself, one of the many prisoners
who lost their individual freedom because they fought for the freedom of the people. In
retrospect, Burmese national days after the first military coup in 1962 are often portrayed as a
series of martyrs days, with the students - and to a lesser extent, the monks - spearheading the

1
Susanne Prager (1998) Nationalismus als kulturelle Reproduktion. Aung San und die Entstehung des postkolonialen
Birma. Heidelberg, Ph.D.-Dissertation: 326.
2
Prager 1998: 343-344.
3
Suu Kyi (1988) Speech to a Mass Rally at the Shwedagon Pagoda, in Suu Kyi (1991) Freedom from Fear and
Other Writing. Foreword by Vaclav Havel. Edited with an introduction by Michael Aris. London [u.a.], Penguin
Books: 198-204, p-199.
4
Suu Kyi 1988: 198-199.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
9
struggle for freedom.
Looking back at the book on Jos Rizal published in Burma, one may regard this as an -
anticipation, albeit unintended, of a hidden motif in Burmas history which one may call the
theme of the unfinished cause.
Reflections and Questions
As with other aspects of research into Burmas 20
th
century history, there is a big gap between the
obvious significance of the willingness to sacrifice ones life for the well-being of the nation and
a scientific reflection on such constituents of Burmese political and public culture. The following
deliberations are not meant to make up for this disparity but to point to some issues which need
attention. A few words on Jos Rizal, the hero of Mogyos book,
1
may be helpful in identifying
some of these issues.
a) Mogyos foreword to the book makes clear why he thinks that the Burmese people should be
informed about the hero of his book: I wish a person like Dr. Jose Rizal should come out soon in
our motherland! Rizal was seen as a role model for Burma, as somebody whose qualities could
be helpful in the immediate situation of Burmas struggle for freedom.
Rizals qualities, as his biography illustrates, consisted in his broad education, his many skills in
the fields of arts and sciences, his international outlook and contacts, and his special personality.
It was his character which induced him to invest his many talents in the fight for a just Philippine
society. As the attitude of devoting ones life to the welfare of the people was prevalent at that
time, one may ask if Mogyo was looking for an uncorrupted Burman leader of Rizals abilities
and international experience as well as reputation.
Mogyo thus, implicitly, drew attention to a lack of intellectual, artistic and global competence
among those present leaders of the Burmese independence struggle who could be trusted not to
pursue selfish aims. In a way, Rizal personified as an individual what Nagani tried to promote for
as many people in Burma as possible: comprehensive knowledge, the means to communicate
ones knowledge and convictions to others, and leading by example.
This observation leads to the question of how the relationship between functional and personal
qualifications was conceptualised and put into practice in independent Burma. Looking at Rizal
as well as at the Burmese martyrs, one is inclined to assume that integrity of character was
regarded as the most important qualification to become a leader. This personal integrity bestowed

1
For the authorship of the book, see Maung Zeyas article in Working Paper 1.1 (p. 67-69). According to Zeyas
research, it was Thakin Ba Thaung who wrote the book.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
10
a special quality upon the skills of the leader in the sense that they became instruments benefiting
the people and not just the bearer of the talents. In other words, a good leader had to integrate
his own abilities because only such a person could integrate and unite the various skills and
interests of the people. As a physician, an artist and a writer, Rizal was just such an ideal person.
There are some indications that this qualification of a national leader enforced an already existing
tradition which continued into independent Burma. Aung San was praised mainly for his personal
integrity and dedication towards the national cause.
1
Nu portrayed himself in his memoirs as a
Nationalist and Buddhist but - as Prime Minister - an Amateur in Office.
2
Ne Win was
accused for his low morals as well as his failure in the University. A recent publication on Razak,
who was assassinated together with Aung San, introduced him as a selfless patriot, a
visionary of the future needs of the country and a dedicated teacher of repute who made the
ultimate sacrifice together with Bogyoke Aung San.
3
Note that his qualification as a teacher was
mentioned last.
These observations need expansion and differentiation and should be supplemented by other
questions like the relationship between the qualifications of a political leader and the expectations
of his assistants, such as civil servants.
b) Another related question of some importance for the analysis of Burmese political culture
throughout the 20
th
century until today is the fact that the hero of the book under review here was
no politician in the narrow sense of the word. The association he founded in 1892, La Liga
Filipina, was not a party, but a self-help organisation which aimed at uplifting the educational
and social standards of the Filippinos amid the ongoing suppression of indigenous culture by the
Spanish, especially the majority of the Spanish clergy. Under Rizals leadership, the organisation
did not advocate fighting Spain politically and violently as the Katipunan founded by Bonifacio
after Rizals arrest and the fracturing of the League.
The history of Rizals organisation deserves some attention since it can be linked to the situation
in Burma in various ways. The first genuinely Burmese movement which developed under
British colonial rule, the Young Mens Buddhist Association (YMBA), was meant to improve the
life of the Burmese Buddhists by helping them to preserve their religious and cultural heritage

1
See the contributions on the national hero in (Dr.) Maung Maung (ed.) (1962). Aung San of Burma. The Hague:
Nijhoff.
2
Nu (1975) U Nu. Saturdays Son. Translated by U Law Yone. Edited by U Kyaw Win. New Haven and London,
Yale University Press: Contents.
3
Nyi Nyi (2007) Sayagyi U Razak. A Patriot, a Visionary & a Dedicated Teacher. In: U Razak. A Teacher, a
Leader, a Martyr (2007). Bangkok, O.S. Printing House: 7.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
11
and to modernise it. It thus can be compared to Rizals League. As we know, the YMBA
developed into the General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA) which split into different
branches. One major reason for these splits were the different reactions to the British introduction
of elements of parliamentary democracy. This kind of politics was widely regarded as attracting
the greed and lust of power of Burmese politicians and was thus rejected by the nationalists. The
symbol of politics in this sense was the constitution which separated Burma from India and was
inaugurated in early 1937. Nationalists vowed to crush this constitution either from inside or
outside the new parliament established under the new rules.
1

The search for a new kind of unselfish yet able leaders was thus connected to the search for a new
understanding and practice of politics. The start of the oilfield workers strike initiated by the
Dobama Asiayone was an attempt to act politically in a Burmese way. Theoretically, Ba Khaing
with his Political History of Burma
2
had paved the way for a new understanding of the
countrys history. Soes book Socialism, advertised on the last page of the book on Rizal and
published by Nagani shortly afterwards, attempted to explain contemporary politics in terms
which could be understood by Burmese people accustomed to Buddhist terminology. Almost two
years later, Aung San in his unfinished - essay on Many Kinds of Politics quoted Soe and
equated Marxist dialectics with the Buddhist law of cause and effect thus interpreting politics
in a scientific as well as Burmese way.
3

Eventually, a special interpretation presented by Aung Sans daughter in her maiden speech at
the Shwedagon Pagoda on August 26, 1988 shall be quoted:
Another thing which some people have been saying is that I know nothing of Burmese
politics. The trouble is that I know too much. My family knows best how complicated and
tricky Burmese politics can be and how my father had to suffer on this account. He
expended much mental and physical effort in the cause of Burmas politics without
personal gain. That is why my father said that once Burmas independence was gained he
would not want to take part in the kind of power politics that would follow.
4

Here, politics are a synonym for dirty politics which might be considered necessary, but
which should be abandoned by selfless people not striving for their personal gain. One can draw

1
For details see Maung Maung 1980: 119-140.
2
See Working Paper 10:5 of this series.
3
Aung San (1940) Many Kinds of Politics. in: Mya Han (comp.) (2000) The Writings of General Aung San.
Original Myanmar Text Translated into English by Retired Ambassador Thet Tun. Yangon, Universities Historical
Research Centre: 50-61.
4
Suu Kyi 1988: 199.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
12
the conclusion that Jos Rizal, Aung San and Suu Kyi are personifications of a different kind of
politics. In the wake of Burmas political experiences following independence, it may be asked if
there have been evaluations, modifications of or alternatives to this concept in Burma/Myanmar.
c) Finally, a question shall be asked with regard to the methodological transfer of Jos Rizals life
and impact into the Burmese context. The tragic Philippine hero lived in a different time and in a
different cultural and political environment than that of the Burmese freedom fighters shortly
before World War II.
Just a few of the main differences shall be mentioned: At the time of Rizals death in 1898, the
Philippines had been a Spanish colony for some 300 years. At least nominally, most of the
population had accepted the Christian religion in its Roman Catholic version. Rizal himself had
studied in Spain and acquainted himself with the spirit and the arts of Western culture. He
criticised the Spanish rule from within using basic human values inherent in Christianity to
expose the suppression of the native Tagalogs. The novels Noli me tangere - the title is taken
from the Bible, and compares the treatment of indigenous people in the Philippines to that of
lepers in Jesus time - and Il Filibusterismo, which carried his criticism, were written in
Spanish. These were indicated by the Spanish authorities mainly because they exposed the
misconduct of the Catholic friars in the Philippines.
Compared with Spanish rule in Rizals home country, British colonialism in Burma was liberal,
as the publication of the book on Rizal by Nagani certifies. But the author of the book stresses the
similarities between what happened in the Philippines and in Burma.
1
This is in line with the aims
of Nagani to promote the spirit of independence, he suggested that the British were as illiberal
and cruel as the Spanish, who deliberately killed a man as virtuous as Rizal.
The question is whether this interpretation - omitting the differences in time and political context,
which can be explained by the books purpose - was unique, or represents a tradition in the
Burmese reception of texts. This leads to the broader question of hermeneutics in Burmese text
interpretation.
Another question is the history of the reception of Rizals life in different segments of Burmese
society after the war. There is evidence that young Burmese poets of the 1970s admired him, and
one writer took two syllables of his name as his pen name, calling himself Jo Zaw.
2


1
For details, see Khin Maung Saws comparison of the book and the English source used to write it (below, part II,
6).
2
Information from Ma Thanegi.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
13
About this Volume
As a first look at the contents of this working paper shows, this volume owes a lot to the work of
U Khin Maung Saw. He has not only translated some material related to the book under review
here, but provided many critical commentaries on the texts, and thereby contributed to one of the
main aims of these papers, namely, to promote a critical discussion on Burmese literature vis
vis the rest of the world. This applies particularly to Khin Maung Saws comparison of the
account of Rizals life given by Mogyo and the English book written by Russell & Rodriguez in
1923 which served as the model for the Burmese version.
U Khin Maung Saws contributions can be regarded as a spot of good fortune, because as a
Burmese who lived in Germany and other countries for many years and who is married to a
Filipina, he is able to view the subject of this volume from different perspectives. The reviews of
the book written by people living in Myanmar add to this diversity. Each writer represents a
different generation. Maung Moe Hein Zaw is still a young scholar, Daw Khin Hla Myint (his
mother) is a retired schoolteacher and U Thet Tun is a former Ambassador and a senior member
of the Myanmar Historical Commission who still remembers having read the book when he was
young. The two commentaries from German readers are written by two men who are very much
interested in Myanmar affairs.
I would like to thank all contributors and hope that this paper may be useful and induce further
discussion.

Hamburg, February 2008 (last update)
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
14
II. MATERIAL ON MOGYO, JOSE RIZAL

1. Kyaw Hoe, Bibliographical Information
1

Translated from his Nagani Bibliography, pp. 20-21 by Khin Maung Saw

Rangoon, Nagani, 1938, 05, 288 Pages with Photos.
2


This book was translated by U Ohn Khin with penname Moe Gyo. He was well known as
Hiking or Going on Foot
3
U Ohn Khin at that time. He was a leading member of the Nagani
Book Club. The Foreword of this book was entitled : I repay my debts and started with the
sentence: To my motherland and my dear compatriots of Burma, you are really my benefactors
because I was born, grew up and educated on your soil!

Furthermore, he wrote: My compatriots, people of Burma, may this book be the guideline of
your Independence Struggle. May this book become a big search light, as bright as the flames of
a big volcano for your way to freedom. I wish my efforts to translate this book would become
the first step of the ladder in your Independence Struggle. I wish a person like Dr. Jose Rizal
should come out soon in our motherland!
4


This book is an excellent work of U Ohn Khin. The Philippines should be considered as a
neighbour of Burma. Dr. Jose Rizals struggle for his nation to be set free from the Yoke of The
Spaniards was great, and made him an Icon for the Burmese people. Because of U Ohn Khins
book, Dr. Rizal became a popular hero for almost all of the Burmese youths too. I dare to say
that, in the 1930s almost every Burmese youth knew Dr. Jose Rizal. Even today (in Burma)

1
The footnotes are from the translator, U Khin Maung Saw.
2
There are two pictures, both taken from the book of Charles Edward Russell and E.B. Rodriguez (1923) The Hero
of the Filipinos. The Story of Jos Rizal, Poet, Patriot and Martyr. New York and London, The Century Co. From
the fourteen photos of the English book, two can be found in the Burmese version, a portrait of Rizal and the Rizal
Monument in Manila.
3
Most probably U Ohn Khin did not use public transport whenever he came to office or whenever he visited friends.
The patron of almost all Nagani writers, Sayagyi Thakin Kodaw Hmaing was also well known for not using public
transports. While he was working as a professor at the National College, he came to the college and returned back
home by walking about 4 miles each way.
4
Hence, it is very clear that U Ohn Khin intended to enchant the people of Burma, then a British Colony, to imitate
Dr. Jose Rizal as an ideal person, to follow his example by sacrificing his own life for the liberation of the
motherland from a foreign ruler.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
15
there are stories about Dr. Rizal written by many authors. In Encyclopaedia Britannica
1
, under
the title Dr. Jose Rizal, the publishers included a picture of Dr. Rizal standing bravely in front of
the firing squad.

U Ohn Khins book has 13 chapters and there is picture of the Filipino People saluting Jose
Rizals Memorial Monument on 30
th
December, the Rizal Day. On the back cover of this book
there is an advertisement for a book called Socialism, The Ism of the Poor written by Thakin
Soe, one of the Executive Committee Members of the Nagani Book Club. U Ohn Khins book
was published in May 13, 1938 and the number of books published in the First Edition was 3050.























1
Published in the early 1950s by The Burma Translation Society, patronized by the former Nagani Author U Nu,
the then Prime Minister of Burma.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
16
2. Moe Hein Zaw: Book Review of Mogyoe, Jos Rizal
Translated by Aung Kyaw Moe

The author of this book is U Ohn Khin whose pseudonym is Moe Gyoe. He was the Secretary of
Nagani Book Club. There is no biography of the author in the book. U Ohn Khin is the second
husband of Dagon Khin Khin Lay, a female writer.

Chapter (1)
In the first chapter (1) of the book Jos Rizal, the geographical location of the Philippines is
mentioned as well as her relationship to neighbouring countries. The book describes how
Filipinos began to revolt against the ruthless Spanish Government, which had executed three
innocent (Catholic) monks along with the other convicted rebels in the Baganvaran Killing Field.
This is based on an accusation that the people were involved with the Cavite Rebellion which
happened in 1872. Among those who were killed, Father Mariano Gomez, 85, a man of high
spirituality and pure conduct who was highly respected by the people. The date on which these
monks were executed, the 28th of February 1872, became a day of venerable memory for the
Filipinos. The native poets composed the poetic eulogies for the Filipinos who died by the hands
of Spanish Colonialists. The Spanish Government looked down upon the native Filipinos and
oppressed them without any mercy, but the Spanish Colonialists were frightened when the
oppressed Filipinos launched an organized rebellion against their foreign invaders, and punished
them severely.

Francisco Mercado and his wife ( the parents of Jos Rizal), were also among the people who
were tortured by the Spanish rulers. The Spanish Officers put Mercados wife on trial by
conspiratorial incrimination as she had acted rough and rude to them. They forced her to go on
the 20 miles journey to Santa Cruz by foot where she had to defend her case, but the judge
physically punished some people and guards who offered her shelter and kind treatment on her
long journey. She was imprisoned for two years, and her final release was requested by her
daughter, to the Spanish Viceroy who came to Kalamba city. Her daughter was in the Dancing
Team which welcomed the Viceroy, who was really moved by the girls extraordinary elegance
and beauty. He offered her a reward, so she requested for her mothers release from the prison.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
17
The Mercados had 11 children and Jos Rizal was the 7th child. Rizal attended his school in
Manila. Since he was very young, Rizal had witnessed his parents and other compatriots tortured
and bullied by the Spanish Government which really upset and angered him. Accordingly, a
strong sense of yearning and aspiration to be free and independent shined forth in his mind at that
time. This Chapter includes facts about the notoriety of Spanish Government which ill-treated the
Filipinos and hampered the young Filipinos from having access to the higher education. The
tyrannical and repulsive ruling of the Spanish Government and rich Friars ignited the fiery
temper of Filipinos, and it is said that Jos Rizal represented as a National Hero who could lead
them on the way to liberation.

Chapter (2): The Student Life
Chapter two (2) describes the childhood of Jos Rizal. Rizal was able to memorize the Spanish
alphabet at 3, and he showed an amazing promise, like reading the Spanish Translation of the
Vulgata Bible, which was taught to him by his mother when he was only 5 years old. As his
mother was a Manila College Graduate, she was able to teach him. The classics and also how to
compose poems. He was not only familiar with his native language, Tagalog, but also with the
language of their rulers, i.e., Spanish. He enjoyed the sight of moths dying in the flame as his
mother told him the proverbial story about how moths die if they fly too close to a naked flame.
This story of his younger days was evoked whenever he faced the twists and turns of adult life
and he felt likened him to the moths.
Jos Rizal was born on 19
th
of June, 1861. He had matured qualities, as kindness, obedience,
willingness to learn, loving books and the habit of reading. His uncle Manuel saw that he was
frail and weak in physique, so trained him in physical exercises, and as a result he got stronger
and healthier. Before he was five years old, he drew some pictures with pencil, and moulded
some figures with mud and wax. His relatives were well-educated people so they encouraged him
to pursue education. His mother usually directed all her children to pray in the night time, and she
would often relate some old time stories under the moon light. When he was 4, one of his
younger sisters died and he shed tears for the first time in his life. He saw the Filipinos people
were oppressed by the Spanish Colonialists and he felt in his heart a tremendous longing for the
liberation of his people. His father also encouraged him to make progress in his education and
taught him some Latin. When he was 9, Rizal was sent to the Bian School where his uncle
Alberto was a boarding student. At first though, he was teased by the other students and beaten
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
18
by his teachers. He was taught painting from a painter who lived near his uncles house. Rizals
brother, Paciano, was sent to San Jos College where Padre Jos Burgos, one of those monks
executed by the Spanish Authorities in 1872, had been working. His brother was one of the
witnesses to the execution, which he later told Rizal about. The young Filipinos including Rizal
had repulsive feelings against the Spanish Government. Rizal was sent again to a Jesuit School
called Ateneo where he passed the entrance exam at 11. He studied very hard at school but he did
not get any award. Although he was not a very sociable boy, he did get a girl friend, but who
abandoned him later. Then he made up his mind and utilize his time systematically for the sake of
his personal development. He read some Spanish translations of French novels. After that he
started to realize that the root cause of suffering and general down-trodden-ness of his native
people was the brutal Colonialism of the Spanish Government, and the only way-out of the
troublesome situation is to develop Education and Freedom.

Chapter (3): The Overseas Education
In the third chapter it is mentioned that the local schools in the Philippines where Rizal studied
his formal education were very bad and incompetent. On 23
rd
of March, 1876, when he was 23,
Rizal earned his B.A. degree with highest distinction and he moved from Ateneo School to Santo
Tomas University. When he was 18, he won a first Prize in a literature contest for his poem
named To Filipino Youths. He also won a First Prize in a literature contest dedicated to the
memory of a famous Spanish Writer Miguel Cervantes, but the selection committee refused to
award him because he is not a white man. They conferred that prize to another contestant who
was a Spaniard. The Filipino youths were studying hard for their education, but the Spanish
teachers were intimidating and subdued them mercilessly. When Rizal came back from the
University to his native Calamba Village, he found that his beloved mother was almost blind, but
his siblings gave him a warm welcome. If he had pursued painting and sculpture, he might have
become a world-renowned artist, as the paintings and sculptures of his younger days were very
impressive. . He was very smart at composing poems, and in his student life at Ateneo, he wrote a
play called By the Pasig River. On 10
th
of December, 1880, the play was performed by the
students before the public audience of the Philippines. This play reflected openly the brutalities
and cruelties of the Spanish Government. After this the Spanish detectives watched him more
attentively than the criminals. Rizal was never impressed by the Spanish and whenever there was
a street brawl, he took on the side of Filipino students against the Spanish ones. One day, when
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
19
he came out of his mothers house, a Spanish Policeman attacked him with a saber, and he was
seriously injured. The reason for this attack was that he did not notice that Policeman and did not
pay him due respect. He notified the incident to the Spanish Officers concerned, but they did not
take any action, and even they mocked him about what had happened. On account of this
injustice, he decided to leave his country for Europe, to have a better education, even though he
deeply loved his country and his people. However, the Spanish Government did not allow him to
get the Passport, so he tried to get it by the name of one of his cousins. His brother, Paciano, and
one of his uncles gave him cash to cover his travelling costs to Europe. One of his sisters even
contributed by pawning her diamond earrings at a pawnshop. Then he came back to his native
village, Calamba, to wait for a ship. When he received a telegraph message saying that the ship
had arrived, he went back to Manila, and at the midnight he found himself on board to making his
way towards adventurous travel to Europe. In this way, the Chapter three ends with Rizal heading
to Europe for a better education.

Chapter (4): Learning Higher Education
The fourth explains how as soon as the Spanish Government learnt that Jos Rizal had
disappeared, the detectives and policemen even suspected that Rizals parents might have killed
him. They made a thorough enquiry about his disappearance but his relatives concealed the truth
and they did not disclose about his departure to Europe. The Spanish Government was fearful of
the mysterious vanishing of Rizal. Rizal had got to Barcelona, in Spain, by changing ships in
Singapore and in France. But no sooner had Rizal left the Philippines, than the Spanish
Government started to make trouble for his relatives and friends. In Barcelona, he saw that people
were enjoying the rights of free speech and free movement, and he felt so sad about the situation
in his homeland where the Spanish Government ruled his people in the iron grip and granted
them no basic human rights. At the Madrid University, he studied Medical Science, Philosophy,
Literature and Painting, and contemporary languages. He was such a polyglot that he mastered
many languages including Catalan, Arabic, German, Sanskrit, and Hebrew. He was a brilliant
student, but he kept himself away from sensual indulgences. He had only one big thought: to
liberate the Philippines from the chains of Spanish Colonialism. Therefore, he did not have many
friends but he lived quite amicably with his closed friends. He used to read the books written in
the other languages instead of Spanish books, and that helped him to lessen the chances of having
to borrow books form his classmates. At the hotel in the evening, he used to play Chess with his
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
20
friends and have discussions about literature. On these occasions, Rizal was drawing caricatures
of his friends on the table. He did everything in accordance with a self-prescribed time-table. He
studied some French classics, Shakespeares Plays, the books on International affairs, and the
Histories and the Biographies of prominent persons. He often went to the Theatre and some
parties if his wallet was fat and full enough. When he came across a book called The
Philippines Traveler, written by Dr. Jagor
1
, a German philosopher, and some thoughts hovered
in his mind, and he had an eagerness to imitate the Americans struggle for their Independence.
He especially loved to read the biographies of American Presidents, who are not from royal
families but poor commoners, who had earned their high achievements by their own intellectual
quality and dauntless endeavours. These people inspired him so much that he was pondering day
and night about the Philippines Independence. At that time, he joined up the Freemasonry, a
secret organization treated as rebels by the Government. Since the money sent by his uncle was
not enough to cover his expenses, Rizal worked as a part-time teacher at a Workers School. He
got his Medical Degree in 1844 but he could not afford to apply for his professional registration.
Only after another three years was he was capable of registering himself as a full-fledged Medical
Doctor. He was thinking of writing a novel about the brutal oppression of the Spanish
Government in the Philippines, from which he intended to expose the actual situations in his
native country to the international community. This idea came to him by reading a book called
Uncle Toms Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. He learnt that this particular book
initiated the abolition of slavery in the United States of America. At first, this novel was intended
to be co-authored by the members of the Filipino Club, but later Rizal took the full responsibility
to finishing the novel because he did not see any artistic talents in his compatriots. The name of
this novel is Noli Me Tangere. This is not only the best novel in the history of Filipino
literature, but also one of the best literary pieces in the history of world literature. He continued to
write the novel when he moved from Paris to Heidelberg. At the same time, he was lucky enough
to meet some world renowned scientists. He studied Psychology at the Leipzig University,
Germany. He rented a cheap room there and studied Anthropology and Entomology. Rizal did
not have any hope of seeing his country become independent in his lifetime because he felt that
his people were left too far behind in terms of knowledge and education. However he thought that
it is better to understand and appreciate the value of independence. This Chapter (4) explains

1
Fedor (Friedrich) Jagors book Travels in the Philippines (in German: Reisen in den Philippinen) was published
1873. Jagor (1816-1900) was a traveller, ethnographer and writer. [editor]
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
21
about the experiences and difficulties Rizal faced in his European journey towards higher
education, and also highlights Rizals concerns about his countrys liberation.

Chapter (5): Noli Me Tangere
The fifth chapter is a summary of Rizals novel, Noli Me Tangere. Rizal thought that the
Filipinos were not able to obtain their Independence because and they lacked a sound educational
foundation to maintain it for long. But he had no doubt that his country would be so prosperous
one day, if some necessary preconditions are fulfilled. He acknowledged in the novels preface
that in the novel he intended to communicate the importance of education for the Filipinos and to
liberate themselves from Spanish colonialism by a peaceful non-violent means. The protagonist
of his novel is a young man named Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, who is sent to Europe for his
education. When Ibarra is in Europe, his father has a dispute over land ownership with a rich and
powerful Friar, Padre Damaso. His father he is imprisoned by the authorities. With a broken
heart, he dies in prison yearning for his beloved son who is far away. Ibarra knows that his father
has passed away but he has no idea how, where, and when his father died. He finds out later that
his father died under suspicious circumstances.
Another character is a Filipino lady named Sisa, who has two sons, Basilio and Crispin, who
work at a Church as cleaners. One night, when Sisa is waiting for his two Sons and preparing
dinner, her notorious husband appears and finishes all food she prepared for her sons. Her
husband asks about their Sons and then he leave. She keeps her own quota of dinner for her two
sons. One of her sons, Crispin, is accused of theft, and the abbot of the church tells her that if he
fails to return the stolen item he will be beaten to death. That night, there is a thunderstorm, so
the two brothers are forced to ring the bell continuously, superstition as claims that tolling the
bell can protect their Church from the thunderstorm. The Abbot blames Basilio for not being able
to toll the bell rhythmically and locks him in the belfry, and then he takes Crispin to be tried for
the crime of theft. Basilio escaped from the imprisonment by cutting the ringing rope and running
away into the forest. The Police (Guardia Civil) execute Crispin, and two days later they go to
Sisa and blame her for Crispins theft. Gradually she finds out the truth about her son Crispin, but
has gone mad by the time they release her from the prison. She spends her remaining days as a
beggar and sleeps in the forest. When Basilio tries to find his mother, Sisa runs away from him
because he looks like a stranger to her. Finally, she dies in Basilios arms.
Ibarra knows how his father died, and his fathers body is taken from the grave to be thrown into
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
22
a lake, but he can not explain how and to what extent Padre Damaso is involved. But he decides
that he will take revenge if he can figure it out. Ibarra is still highly impressed by the Spaniards
and he is hoping to find a better system of education that can replace the prevailing one which is
so poor in standard and quality. He meets a school teacher and talks to him about education.
From this discussion, he learns about the profanity and notoriety of Padre Damasos behaviour
towards teachers and students. Consequently, Ibarra decides to open a private school. An
anonymous person warns Ibarra about a secret plan to kill him by dropping a rock onto his head
at the school opening ceremony. So he is watchful for a conspiracy. Ibarra cannot identify Padre
Damaso as the culprit who killed his father, and who scheming to kill him . Being disappointed
for his unsuccessful plan, Padre Damaso starts to disgrace Ibarras father at dinner. Ibarra
punches Damaso and tries to kill him by strangling. Ibarras anger is pacified by his girlfriend,
Maria Ciara, the daughter of Captain Tiago. But as a result, the Friars excommunicate him and
Captain Tiago decides to prevent him ever becoming his son-in-law. As a rich man who tries to
entice the Friars, Captain Tiago views Ibarra as a hazardous person. Ibarra and Maria Ciara have
been close friends since they were very young, and they love each other deeply. They had
planned to get married when Ibarra finished his education and came back from Europe. But now
Marias parents force her to marry a Spaniard called Linares, a lotus-eater and a freewheeler. At
the same time, the Spanish Viceroy comes to the town where Ibarra is staying. Since the Viceroy
and Ibarras father were old friends, the Viceroy requests a monk, who is an adversary of the
Friars, to exonerate Ibarra from the burden of Excomunication. Captain Tiago thinks that it is
better to be a father-in-law of a Spaniard than of a Filipino, so he does not agree to let his
daughter to get marry Ibarra. A Pilot named Elias informs Ibarra about Marias sickness. Elias
also warns Ibarra about Padre Damasos wicked plan to kill him by dropping a huge stone. At
one time, Ibarra saved Elias from the danger of a terrible crocodile. Elias is a well-educated
person who suffers from the brutal oppression of the Spanish Government and wants to create an
uprising against the Spanish Government. Elias shares his troubles with Ibarra and they decide
together to organize a rebellion. Elias advises Ibarra to flee to the overseas but Ibarra declines the
advice and tells his friend that he cannot go out of country without seeing his beloved Maria
Ciara. Ibarra explains that the Spanish Government wrongly accused him of rebellion based on a
letter written by Maria Ciara to him seven years ago. He asks how the Friars got the letter which
was carefully kept by Maria, and she tells him that a Friar named Padre Sibyla, who is
unscrupulously wooing her, stole the letter. Padre Sibyla also exposes a hidden truth about the
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
23
life of Maria, claiming that she is an illegitimate daughter of Padre Damaso. Ibarra realizes that
his lover is still faithful to him and he attempts to run away with Maria. Elias arranges a boat for
them. They go up along the Pasig River by the boat but unfortunately the police (Guardia Civil)
find them there. Elias is hit by a bullet and falls down into the river. The policemen mistake Elias
as Ibarra and they send a report about the death. When Maria Ciara hears the news, she decides
to become a nun. This is the summary of Rizals novel, Noli Me Tangere .

Chapter (6): A Melancholic Love Story
Rizals novel is based on his own experiences in Europe, for example, as his mothers
imprisonment, the two Friars he have met, and his girlfriend Leonora who becomes the character
of Maria Clara in his novel. The events in his novel reflect the experiences of Filipinos and are
recognized by the people who live in the rest of the world. The love story of Rizal and Leonora
are also put as a part of his novel. This chapter shows Rizals melancholic love story as follows:
when he was studying in Spain, the Spanish Government disgraced him and consequently
Leonoras mother who was misinformed about Rizal, blamed him and arranged for her daughter
to get married to an English Engineer, Henry C. Kispin. She bribed two post office clerks and
intercepted the letters between Rizal and his daughter. She forced Leonora to marry Henry by
arguing that Rizal did not care about her and did not send the letter. As the day approaches for
Leonoras marriage, but one day, a letter from arrives from Rizal when her mother is not at home
and then only she realizes the truth that how much Rizal loves her and sent her a lot of letters. But
the game is already over and she cannot do anything, so inevitably she gets married to Henry, but
with deep regret, and she dies two years later.

Chapter (7): Second Expatriation
In the seventh chapter the author explains that Rizal did not know what happened to his beloved
Leonora as he was trying so hard to complete his novel in Berlin. He was having a money crisis
at the time, and a little bit depressed about his novel. He economised on food and continued to
write the novel. Then he received a letter from a Filipino man named Massimo Viola who is one
of his acquaintances in Madrid. Massimo Viola invites Rizal to accompany him in a trip. At first,
Rizal was reluctant to accept the offer because he is still struggling with his novel. Viola insists
that he tell him problems, and decides to help him. He provided Rizal a financial support to
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
24
finish his novel and to publish it. Within a short period, Rizals first novel bad been printed and
imported into the Philippines in the disguise of groceries.
As soon as Rizals novels arrive in the Philippines, the Filipinos read them enthusiastically and
but were horrified by the episodes of the novel which describes in great detail the ways the
Spanish Government and the Friars oppressed the people. The Spanish Government was really
anxious about the calamity and social unrest potentially created by Rizals novel and they formed
an Inspection Committee to peruse the novel. According to the Committees report, it was found
that Rizals novel has the potential to harm their the religion, culture, and civilization of the
Philippines, therefore the Spanish Government issued an order to confiscate all copies of Rizals
novel. But the Filipinos read it in private and distributed copies among their friends and relatives
secretly, by evading the watching eyes of the Spanish Detectives. The Spanish Government and
the Friars were furious about his novel. Rizal and his friend Viola were touring around Germany,
Austria, Italy and France, and they encountered with the renowned scholars and academics. Rizal
came back to the Philippines and he got to his native village on 5
th
of August, 1887. He was able
to cure his mothers blindness. In the beginning of the year 1888, the Viceroy summoned him to
submit a reasonable explanation for his novel. Rizal explained that his novel is not as black as it
is painted by the Inspection Committee but the Spanish Government assigned a Detective near
Rizals house to watch all his movements. At that time, there was a problem of Taxation
Inequality created by the Government, so Rizal studied the books on Economics and Taxation,
and he found out the inequality and unfairness of taxation Disparity between the rich and the
poor. He organized the poor tax-payers to sign on a Letter of Appeal submitted to the Spanish
Government. In this way, he became a National Hero for the Filipinos. Although the Viceroy was
a kind-hearted good man, he could not go against the Friars and accordingly he advised Rizal to
leave the Philippines. This was a polite way of making Rizal an exile, but Rizal accepted it by
thinking that if he was still in the country, there might be a violent rebellion and the resultant
bloodshed and death of his people. By nature he preferred peace to the violence and he hoped that
one day his country would be liberated peacefully from the Spanish Colonization. On 28
th
of
February, 1888, he left the Philippines for Hong Kong with the idea of going to the United States
of America. This Chapter depicts in detail about the after-effects of Rizals novel, Noli Me
Tangere.

Mogyo, Jose Rizal
25
Chapter (8): The Reign of Greed
The eighth chapter, Rizal describes Hong Kong, where he met with some Filipinos of 1872
uprising who fled away from the country. There were noble and educated persons among them.
The Spanish Counsellor of Hong Kong encouraged Rizal to stay in Hong Kong, but he moved to
Japan where the Spanish Embassy offered him a lucrative translation job. He stayed only one
month in Japan and he learned to speak Japanese very well. When he got to the San Francisco by
boat, he was not permitted to enter into the city because of cholera disease. He discovered that the
Americans are wrathful and unfriendly toward the strangers who came from other parts of the
world. He journeyed to England and, in the British Museum he found a book on the Philippines
and the Filipinos written by Antonio de Morgar in 1602. It is said that the Filipinos are barbarian
race and if Spain did not colonize them, they may live the lives of beasts. But Morgars book also
described how pre-colonial Filipinos were capable of such activities as agriculture, handicraft,
trading, navigation and administration. By now Rizal realizes why the Spaniards ignored the high
level of culture and civilization of Filipinos and denied their freedom. Then he left London for
Paris where he lived at a Filipino painters home. This painter also suffered from the atrocities
done by the Spanish Government. At that time, Rizals parents and relatives in the Philippines
were bullied by the Spanish Government who could not forget what Rizal had done. Rizals
brother Paciano was exiled by the Government and the dead body of Habosa, his sister Lucias
husband, was unearthed from his grave in the churchyard, and buried somewhere else. So the
Calamba villagers were feeling panic about the ruthlessness of the Spanish Government. Rizal
blamed the Friars by writing an article in a magazine called La Solidaridad about the malicious
act done to his brother-in-law, Habosas corpse. There was freedom of expression in Spain
whereas everything was under tight control in the Philippines. Rizal was in Belgium writing a
second novel called El Filibusterismo (The reign of Greed) when his parents and relatives got
into trouble. The hateful behaviour of the Spanish Government and the police (Guardia Civil)
were openly mentioned in this novel. He claimed that he would write seven novels to arouse the
patriotism of his people and he decided he did not want to live any longer if nothing happened to
appease them. His novel highlighted that the Filipinos should rely on their own power and not on
the Spanish Government, and the novel reminded them not to forget about three Monks fallen in
1872 social unrest.

Mogyo, Jose Rizal
26
Chapter (9): A Struggle between Violence and Peace
This chapter starts with that Rizal, who did not want to go outside of Spain, as the people were
thinking about him in the wrong way. But Rizal would not see anybody who can love and
sacrifice oneself better than he did. The Filipinos who lived in Barcelona were used to arguing
about the future of the Philippines. So Rizal wrote some essays and articles that considered what
might happen to the Philippines in next 100 years. Since the Spanish Government ruled the
Philippines with its sheer military might, it was hopeless for the Filipinos who were armless to
achieve liberation. Although they could liberate themselves from the colonization of the
Spaniards in a peaceful way, there were other western colonialists waiting for the colonization of
the Philippines. But he thought that the other western countries did not want to invade the
Philippines and he believed that the American Revolution is a good example for the Filipinos to
struggle for their own Independence. In the final analysis, he discovers that the one and only way
to liberation is the way is the way of Armed Revolt in which the people of the all walks of life in
the Philippines should be united and launch a systematic and well-organized revolution against
the Spanish Rulers. In the past, the Spanish Government crushed the rebellions down mercilessly
and these rebellious efforts were aborted prematurely due to their disunity and capriciousness.
Rizal viewed that the Spanish Government was trying to stamp out the Filipinos but the Spanish
Government faced many difficulties because of their increasing population and abilities. Rizals
biographer, Wenceslao Retana states that outwardly Rizal seemed to be a Peace-lover, but deep
inside he was a fast and furious man who was inclined to the acts of violence and terrorism. A
Filipino traitor, a turncoat who got a lucrative bribe from the Spanish Government, wrote a paper
that acclaims the worthiness of the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines. In October, 1889,
according to the opinion of Rizals biographer, a refutation to that paper came out and stated that
Rizal who hated violence and had love in his heart.

Chapter (10) How Rizal Let the World Know about the Philippines
In the tenth Chapter (10), the author describes how Rizal thought about nature and mentality of
the Filipinos and why they were colonized by the Spaniards. Rizal was writing a book to educate
the Filipinos about their strength, weakness, and shortcomings. But he got an idea that it is better
to write this book in French to let the world knows about the Philippines. As he felt sick at heart
for his beloved Leonora, he cured his melancholy and suffering by putting his heart into the all
out effort to achieve Independence for the Philippines. In 1889, there was an International
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
27
Exhibition in Paris but Rizal could not find anything related to the Filipinos and their culture. He
felt so sad and agitated for that negligence, and consequently he founded a Philippine
organization that included various races of the world. The objectives of his organization are (1) to
convene an International Forum to discuss about the issues on the Philippines, (2) to carry out a
systematic enquiry based on history and science into the Philippines, (3) to publish documents
and books on the findings about the Philippines, and (4) to publicize the above-mentioned efforts
by the organization. The President of this organization was a scholar named Dr. Blumetritt
1
and
the Vice-President was Dr. Ross.
Rizal was angry about the insult by the Europeans who misconceived that the Filipinos as good-
at-nothing lazy bones. He contested this idea by explaining that the Europeans in the Philippines
were self-indulgent, and at the same time, the Filipino population decreased due to the brutal
oppression of the Spanish Government. The Spaniards forced the Filipinos to build ships for
them, so these poor oppressed people had to cut down their own trees. Both men and women
became the forced labours who could not survive this inhuman exploitation. Some were killed by
the Spaniards mercilessly. This chapter shows that under this difficult situation, the Filipinos
were living by be lazy for yourself, and be industrious for the Spaniards.

Chapter (11): The Blistering Lava from the Volcano
When Rizal came back to Madrid, in Spain, he saw that everything had changed. The Filipinos in
Madrid were not convinced that the Spanish Government would offer peacefully the
Independence they demanded, and they received a letter from the Philippines that assured there
would be an impending revolution in the Philippines. They believed only in an armed revolution
rather than a peaceful transfer of sovereignty just as Rizal had thought. Rizal was thinking about
going back to the Philippines, since he was the only person who did not want to join in the armed
revolution. Rizal misunderstood that the Spanish Government also did not want bloodshed as he
did. At that time, Rizal was 31 years old, and the author describes some character traits of Rizal
as follows: Rizal challenged two rebellious persons to fight him in a duel of: Rizal was able to
control his anger but he was seething with rage when he was confronted by an unjust and unfair
incident. The Filipinos were ready to fight with any possible weapons against the Spaniards if
Rizal would lead the revolution. Even Rizal was unwittingly inclined to use violent means

1
Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt (1853-1913) was a German-Czech ethnographer who was specialist on the Philippines.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
28
because of the atrocities done by the Spanish Government. He wrote a new novel named EI
Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) to inform the Spanish Government about the national
awakening of the Philippines. We can see in this novel about the decreasing respect he has for
the Spanish Government. The protagonist of this new novel is the same Ibarra from the previous
one. In Noli Me Tangere, when the main character Ibarra and his friends run away with a boat,
Elias was shot by the policemen and falls into the river, but Ibarra escapes. In this new novel
Ibarra reappeared as a jewel trader named Simoun who comes back to the Philippines. Living in
disguise of a rich jewel trader, his secret plan is to initiate the uprising against the Spanish
Government and to rescue his lover Maria Clara from the Convent. In the synopsis of the novel,
there is another story about Tandauc1o, a wood-cutter who has a son called Talis. Talis is very
industrious like his father and he works for a land owner, so he saves a considerable amount of
money. Then he gets married a girl. With his father and his wife, Talis buys some virgin lands
and starts cultivating crops and vegetables. His wife and their eldest child die from Malaria.
When the harvest time comes, the Friars ask for a rental charge for cultivating in their land. Talis
gives the fees willingly because he does not want to go to the court but the Friars increase the
rental fees year after year, but Talis cannot stand it anymore and their case is sent to be judged at
the court. Talis watches his land with some arms but the Government soon confiscates his arms
too. Therefore he protects his land with an axe. Some robbers kidnap him and ask for a ransom
of 500 peso from his family. Talis daughter, Julie, sells herself as a slave to get that amount of
money to retrieve her father but she is separated from her lover. Talis befriends the robbers and
with their help he kills the delegate of Friars and a couple who work in his land as new tenant
farmers, but he has to run away. Talis escapes but the police arrest his father. One day when the
Viceroy and the Secretariat go out for sport-hunting, Julie tries to implore the Secretariat to
release her grandfather. Since he is a good man, the Secretariat orders the release of Julies
grandfather. In this way this novel depicts in detail the behaviour of the Spanish Viceroy and the
officials. Simoun wants the Filipinos to revolt against the Spaniards so he exhorts them by telling
that even the Viceroy is consent to revolt against the Friars. He smuggles ammunitions into the
country with the help of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who wants very much to be Chinese
consul to Manila. Simouns initial attempt to start the uprising did not happen because at the last
hour he heard the sad news that Maria Ciara died in the convent. In his agonizing moment of
bereavement, he did not give the signal for the attack. Julies lover is Basilio, the son of Sisa from
the first novel. One night, the Government raids and searches the school where Basilio lives and
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
29
some anti-Government documents are found there. Basilio is jailed and sentenced to death on
account of these documents. But in accordance with an advice given by an old woman, Julie
offers her flesh to the lecherous Padre Camorra for the sake of exonerating her lover from the
death sentence. Julie kills herself later. In this way, Basilio gets free from the death sentence and
becomes a follower of Simoun.
However, Isagani, an educated Filipino, and Paulita have fallen in love. Isagani is a patriotic man
who is ready to sacrifice his love for the sake of his country. Isagani is detained because he
openly criticizes the current education System and a university teacher Padre Farnedag.
Therefore, the parents of Paulita do not allow their daughter to marry with Isagani and they try to
find another bridegroom named Juanito Pelaez for her. On the day of the wedding Paulita Gomez
and Juanito Pelaez, Simoun gives a beautiful lamp as a wedding gift to them. Only he and his
confidential associate, Basilio, know that when the wick of his lamp burns lower, the nitro-
glycerine hidden in a Secret compartment of the lamp will explode. Then the patriotic Filipinos
will kindle the fire of revolution in Manila and siege the capital. As the wedding ceremony
commences, Isagani is standing outside the house, sadly watching the merriment inside. Basilio
chances upon Isagani and, warns him to go away because the lighted lamp will soon explode.
Upon learning the secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his lover, Paulita was in serious danger.
He rushes into the house and steals the lamp and hurls himself with it into the river where it
explodes. The revolutionary plot was thus discovered and Simoun, although deeply wounded,
escapes. He hides in a house where he meets with a monk. He retells the monk about his story
and his concerns for the future of the Philippines, but soon dies. The monk throws the briefcase
with the treasure taken by Simoun into the sea.

Chapter (12): Coming Back to Sacrifice His Life
Chapter twelve(12) explains how Rizal was so anxious about his family and relatives who were
tortured and bullied by the Spanish Government and the Friars. He wants to come back to the
Philippines where the people got wind of a looming rebellion. Therefore, in October 1892, as
some friends in Madrid advised him, he went to Hong Kong by boat. In Hong Kong, he earned a
lot of money by working as an Ophthalmologist and he took his sister Lucia to Hong Kong. Rizal
wanted his parents to move to Bomeo Island, but he thought that the Spanish Government would
not allow them to do so. He sent a letter of appeal to the Viceroy to permit him to come back to
the Philippines and asked for a promise not to arrest him when he was back. The Viceroy gave
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
30
him the promise, via the Spanish Counsellor in Hong Kong and sent him a Passport. Rizal and
his sister came back from Hong Kong on the 26
th
of June, 1892. When they arrived at Manila
port, they confronted a problem as the Police found out an Anti-governmental document in the
bag belonged to Lucia. But this was a set-up backed by the Government, and they were not
arrested. Rizal established an Association called The Philippines Associationwhich was treated
as a rebellious by the Spanish Government. This association was founded with a Manifesto and
detailed internal regulations for its members. It was very successful among the Filipinos.
Although Rizal did not commit any crime, the Government summoned him to come to the Fort
Santiago where he was imprisoned. Later they sent him on a parole to Dapitan city on Mindanao
Island. Rizal sent the farewell letters to his parents and his friends even before he left Hong Kong
since he was suspicious about the Governments promise. In the Dapitan city, he lived at the
Mayors house and spent valuable time reading books, going into the forest to study the flora and
the fauna, and visiting some nearby villages for anthropological research on the tools and
weapons used by the indigenous tribes. He conducted classes, taught his pupils English, Spanish,
and The Arts, and he also treated the eye diseases of the native people. He utilized all his
earnings for the community development of the Dapitan city. At that time the Government
checked Rizals real intention, and they found out that Rizal was not happy about the influences
exercised by the Friars upon the Spanish Government and he wanted all-round development for
the Filipinos. Rizal received letters from his relative frequently.
The author notes in this chapter that the Independence of the Philippines did not depend on the
imprisonment of Rizal.

Chapter (13): The Execution
Rizal asked his mother to live with him in Dapitan city, but the Spanish Government did not
permit her to do so. The Philippines was politically unstable at that time and the Government
watched everyone closely who they thought could be suspicious. A mechanic called George
Taufer from Hong Kong, came to Dapitan to see Rizal for eye treatment. Taufer had an Irish
adopted daughter named Josephine who fell in love with Rizal as soon as they met. At the same
time the general situation in Manila was getting worse, and there was a leader named Andre
Bonifatio who thought that the violence done by the Spaniards could be overcome only by a
counter violence. This leader founded a secret organization called Katipunam. Rizal was exiled in
Dapitan for four year. He then sent a request to the Spanish Government to go to Cuba to work
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
31
as a doctor, as a plague epidemic had broken out. With the permission of the Spanish
Government, he left Manila for Cuba on 3
rd
of September, 1896. In the Philippines, a rebellion
started on account of a sister of a Katiputam member, and the Government was terrified and
overcome with fear. The Government began to seize all members of Katipunam and there were
so many casualties and the detainees, with some sentenced to death. In this horrible situation, the
Spanish Government could not spare Rizal, who was the real initiator of that uprising through his
novels, and they summoned him via the Viceroy to come back from Madrid. Rizal was sent to the
Philippines from Barcelona and one of his friends, Dr. Regida unsuccessfully tried to save him on
the way. Rizal was detained in the Fort Santiago on 3
rd
of November, 1896 and put him through a
special court martial on 15
th
of December, 1896. Rizal announced his innocence and explained
that he was not involved with the Katipunam which was just a social club. He also claimed that
he would let the international community know about how the Spanish Government misjudged
him. However, the court continued the hearing and finally he was sentenced to death by a Firing
Squad on 29
th
of December, 1896. With his execution nearing, Rizal wrote his last poem, which,
though untitled, eventually came to be known as Mi lltimo Adios (My Last Farewell).
Written during the early hours before his execution, it was hidden in an alcohol burner, a gift
from one of his European friends, and handed to his family. Within hearing of the Spanish
guards, he said in English, there is something inside, to emphasize the poems importance.
During the night before his execution, Rizal showed no sign of fear and he spent the whole night
by talking joyfully with the guards and praying silently. Next morning, hands fasten with a rope
behind his back, Rizal was taken to the Baganbayan Killing Field. En route, he was talking about
his childhood days and scenes while a cavalry unit was protecting him from abduction by the
people who loved and admired him. Rizal requested the Head of the Firing Squad to shoot him at
the front instead of at the back, but the Officer told him that he was not allowed to do so.
Therefore Rizal implored him to shoot him at his heart instead of his head and he wanted to stand
rather than kneeling when he was shot. The officer in charge agreed to his request. Rizal said
farewell to his lawyer and two priests cheerfully. At that time, the doctor checked his condition
and found that he is quite fearless and healthy. Then the Firing Squad shot him simultaneously
and he controlled his falling by putting his back on the ground, facing to the sky. Rizal was 35
years and 194 days old when he was executed. One year, eight months and seventeen days after,
the shot that killed Rizal there was another shot that brought Spanish rule in the Philippines to an
end. After the Philippines regained her Independence, Rizals body was dug up from the grave he
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
32
was anonymously buried and finally his body was laid to rest in a big Mausoleum built for him.
A patriot of the highest order, the anniversary of Rizals death, December 30, is now celebrated
as a holiday in the Philippines, called Rizal Day. A huge Rizals Memorial Stone Column was
also raised and Rizals mother was offered honorary compensation but she refused.

Review
The book Jos Rizal is a biography of Jos Rizal, a Filipino National Hero who sacrificed his
life for the sake of his country and his people, but the name of (original) author of source book is
not mentioned. The (Burmese) author writes in the preface that this book is intended for those
people who may take the example of Jos Rizal in terms of struggle for the independence of
Burma. The period in which this book was published is the period of Burmas struggle for
independence, so it may encourage Burmese readers to take the example of Rizal and arouse the
peoples willingness to free themselves from the British Colonial rule. For the present age, it is
found out that this book is a biography that informs much about the life and thoughts of Jos
Rizal, and the facts about the Philippines, hopefully to inspire the readers to sacrifice themselves
for the betterment of their country and people.









Mogyo, Jose Rizal
33
2.1. Commentary to Moe Hein Zaws Report by Heinrich Geiger
Jos Rizal is a book written by U Ohn Khin whose pseudonym is Moe Gyoe. He was the
secretary of Nagani Book Club which was established at the end of 1937. The book was
published during the period of Burmas struggle for independence. It is pointed out by the
Reviewer, Moe Hein Zaw, that the book is not only a biography of the Filipino National Hero
Jos Rizal (1861-1896). It inspires the readers to take example of Rizal and to sacrifice oneself
for the betterment of ones country and people. The review of the book was translated into
English by Aung Kyaw Moe.

Briefly, the main historical themes which are reflected by the reviewer of the book Jos Rizal
are as follows: Economic changes in the nineteenth century led to the rise of a new class of
mestizos and native elites, or principales. We learn from the personal life of Jos Rizal as it is
shown in the review of the book that families could afford to send their sons to universities in
Manila and Europe. Influenced by Western liberal ideas, educated Filipinos called ilustrados, or
the enlightened, were determined to have the radical changes in the mother country (Spain)
applied to the colony itself. In other words, they wanted to be treated equal to the Spaniards, the
main obstacles to this end being the powerful religious orders that dominated colonial life. This is
shown in the review of chapter 2 of the book. Further on, we are told in the review of chapter 5
that Rizal wrote the novel Noli Me Tangere about the brutal oppression of the Filipinos by the
Spanish Government. The explanations on chapter 5 of the book are a summary in length of this
novel. The strong interest of the reviewer in literature can be shown by the fact that he gives
much space to the introduction of a novel of Jos Rizal in the review of chapter 11: El
Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed). There we learn that this novel was written to inform the
Spanish Government about the national awakening of the Philippines.

In spite of the ultimately narrow class interests behind their agitation, the ilustrados managed to
stir up a nationalist sentiment among the masses by focusing upon friar abuse that was
universally - as Jos Rizal did in his novels. This is pointed out by the reviewer of Jos Rizal
very well. And so he makes plausible that even as the reformist or assimilationist movement
faltered and died in the 1890ies the death sentence of Jos Rizal was executed on 29
th
of
December, 1896 the upsurge of nationalism was such that a separatist movement was able to
take root among the masses later on. The culmination of such developments was the republic of
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
34
1898, however short-lived it was owing to its weak ilustrado leadership and the success of
American military and political campaigns to destroy it.

But this is already outside the scope of the review of Jos Rizal. In general, the review is
following the overall framework of the interpretation of Philippine history which is also
represented in the book Jos Rizal. Just as pre-1872 accounts tend to focus upon the struggle of
the native clergy for equal status with the friars, post-1872 studies usually deal with the activities
of the native and mestizo elite that was to lead the nationalist struggle. With its main focus on the
life of Jos Rizal as a national hero, the book Jos Rizal is absolutely in line with the post-1872
approach. According to the review of the chapter 13, the death was the culmination of his pasyon.
We are reminded of Rizals Christ-like death in Bagumbayan in 1896, when the officials who
wanted Rizal dead could not immediately shout Viva Espana and a solemn silence reigned for
some minutes. The reviewer does not mention any thoughts which go beyond this very common
understanding of Rizals life and death.

Two years after Rizals death, ilustrados and principales ultimately had their way with the
founding of the republic in 1898. If the revolution was experienced by some as a rebirth, a
fulfilment of hopes, this quickly faded away as the leaders efforts were directed toward
stabilizing the infant nation-state. The breaking off from Spain was recalled as an apocalyptic
event the military defeats and the capitulation of republican leader in 1899 were already the
signs of the decline of the ethos represented by Jos Rizal. The awakening of a National spirit
and the founding of a Nation are not the same: The reviewer of the book Jos Rizal, Moe Hein
Zaw, does not mention that as he wants to point out the following idea: The (Burmese) author
writes in the preface that this book is intended for those people who may take the example of Jos
Rizal in terms of struggle for the Independence of Burma..

Dr. Heinrich Geiger, Bonn
October 2007








Mogyo, Jose Rizal
35
3. Daw Khin Hla Myint: Book Review on Jose Rizal
Translation and footnotes: U Khin Maung Saw

The book, Jose Rizal was translated by U Ohn Khin with penname Mogyo. Unfortunately, the
details of his biography cannot be submitted
35
except that he was the Secretary of the Nagani
Book Club and the second husband of the famous author Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay.

U Ohn Khin admitted in the Foreword that he translated the book called Jose Rizal; however, he
failed to mention the original title and author
36
. In the Foreword, U Ohn Khin wrote: My
compatriots, people of Burma, I hope and wish this book may become the guideline of your
independence struggle. May this book become a big search light, as bright as the flames of a big
volcano for your way to free your country. I wish my efforts to translate this book would become
the first step of the ladder in your independence struggle. May I wish, a person like Dr. Jose
Rizal should come out soon in Burma! Hence, it is very clear that U Ohn Khin intended to
enchant the people of Burma, then a British Colony, to consider Dr. Jose Rizal as an ideal person,
to follow his example by sacrificing his own life for the liberation of their motherland from a
foreign ruler.

Chapter (1)
In this chapter, he described where the native land of Jose Rizal, the Philippines Archipelago is.
The Philippines was still ruled by the Spaniards
37
. He explained further, how the Isles were

35
U Ohn Khin was a well-known author, journalist and owner and chief editor of Bamakhit (Burma Times) and
Mogyo (Thunder) Newspapers. He was a friend of U Nu, the first Prime Minister of Burma when she regained her
independence however, he was a big political foe of General Ne Win. U Ohn Khin was the first journalist detained
by Gen. Ne Win after the 1962 military coup de tat. See Details in a Journalist, a General and an Army in Burma,
written by U Thaung.
36
The original book supposed to be The Hero of The Filipinos, the Story of Jose Rizal, Poet, Patriot and Martyr, by
Charles Edward Russell and E. B. Rodriguez, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London, 1924.
After reading this book and U Ohn Khins Translation, I (KMS) have to conclude that U Ohn Khin wrote his
Burmese Version based on C.E. Russell & E.B. Rodriguezs Book. The flow of U Ohn Khins version was more or
less freely translated and he added his own ideas and comments in many parts. Apart from that he omitted some
parts from the original version. Most probably either he did not like them or he might have thought those parts
would not be appealing to the Burmese people. I should rather say it was Jose Rizals Biography by Charles Edward
Russell and E. B. Rodriguez, Retold by U Ohn Khin together with his own ideas, comments and suggestions to the
Burmese people.
37
It was not stated in U Ohn Khins version. It cannot be ruled out that it was the Reviewers careless mistake. She
should know from history that in 1898 the Filipino Independence War broke out and the Republic of the Philippines
was declared. However, the United States of America did not recognize this nation and occupied the Philippines
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
36
named the Philippines. In the year 1519 A.D, a Portuguese Navigator called Magellan, became a
subject of the Spanish king Charles V and on his majestys service, he sailed westwards with five
ships in search of the Spice Isles. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean, sailed down to the southern
most point of South America and reached the Pacific Ocean. They sailed westwards and how
they had to suffer because of dangerous high waves, food and water shortage etc. After 98 days
of sailing in the Pacific Ocean, on 16th March 1521 they found an island. The natives of that
island stole and robbed everything. Hence, the island was named Ladron (Island of Robbers)
38

by them and sailed further to the west in search of the Spice Isles.

A few days later they discovered an Archipelago. To honour the Crown Prince Philip, they
named the Archipelago The Philippines.

In this way U Ohn Khin described, how Magellan and his sailors discovered the Philippines.
39


The natives of the Philippines welcomed Magellan and his sailors and treated them well at the
beginning, however, when Magellan and his followers forced to baptise the natives by gun-point,
Magellan and some captains of the ships were liquidated by the natives.
40


Spain declared the Philippines to be their colony. In the mean time Portugal did the same thing.
In fact, the natives of the isles, who are of Malay tribes, were and are the real owners of this
archipelago and they should rule their own country. However, the head of the Roman Catholic

after paying the amount of US$20,000,000 in accordance with the Treaty of Paris which eventually ended the
Spanish-American War. So, the Philippines became an American Colony in 1902. World History was taught in the
schools of the then British Colonies. No doubt, as a journalist U Ohn Khin, who had studied in Burma then a British
Colony, knew this history when he translated the book in the 1930s.
38
Isla los Ladrones
39
It was not stated in the English Version. The whole paragraph was U Ohn Khins explanation to Burmese readers
about Magellan and the Philippines. U Ohn Khins explanation was much longer and gave more details about the
Philippines and its people.
40
According to Filipino history books Magellan was killed by the Chieftain called Lapu Lapu before he could land
on the shore. Some of his followers escaped, the next mission came thirty years later with gun boats and made the
Archipelago their colony. In the Philippines, there is a sea fish called Lapu Lapu too. Hence, a famous joke
evolved among the Filipinos: Who killed Magellan? Lapu Lapu! Who killed Lapu Lapu? Who else!
Fishermen!
Here too, the book reviewer omitted the ironical comment of U Ohn Khin, who wrote Magellan and his followers
might have forgotten or ignored, what Jesus Christ taught: if you are slapped on the left cheek, please turn your right
cheek to be slapped. However, the Spaniards taught the natives how to become good Christians and how to behave
as good Christians, so that the natives had to turn one cheek after another whenever Spaniards wanted to torture
them. The way Spaniards treated the Filipinos and Indians in America was comparable to the way the Roman
Imperators tortured the Christians in early centuries AD, however, the Pope then, neither stopped nor condemned it.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
37
Church, the Pope in Rome drew an imaginary line on the globe and decided that west of that line
belonged to Spain and east of that line belonged to Portugal. In that way, the Philippines became
a Spanish Colony in 1529.

Spaniards ruled the Philippines under iron fists and treated the natives cruelly. Thats why, from
1573 to 1872, within 300 years there were 100 revolutions, in average one revolution in 3 years.
In this way, the natives of the Philippines showed that they didnt tolerate the illegitimate and
cruel government of the foreigners. Among these 100 revolutions, 31 struggles were recorded to
be very big revolts. The Spaniards tortured the revolutionaries as well as innocent people very
cruelly, much more than the third degree in the modern days, so that the natives would fear,
however, the more the Spanish government tortured, the more the revolutions broke out.

In 1872 the Cavite Revolt broke out. The Spanish government sentenced the rebels as well as
three innocent native Catholic Priests, Father Mariano Gomez, Father Jose Burgos and Father
Emilio Zamora to death. These three priests were executed by squeezing the neck
41
at
Bagumbayan
42
death field. Father Gomez was 85 already and he and the other two priests prayed
for the henchmen while they were taken to be liquidated. The Spaniards, particularly the new
comers direct from Spain, discriminated the natives and the natives hated the Spaniards. The
Spanish Friars owned many lands and they became collaborators of the government. Jose
Rizals father Francisco Mercado became one of the targets of the rulers at first and later his wife
was also under watch
43
. During this time, one saviour was born. He was Jose Rizal.

Chapter (2)
This Chapter was titled Life as a student and described Jose Rizals childhood and youth. It
was written that Jose Rizal was very talented and intelligent. He knew all Spanish alphabets when

41
The three priest were actually garrotted. The meaning of the verb garrotte is given in the Oxford Dictionary as:
Execute a person condemned to death by strangling or throttling a stick being twisted to tighten a cord over the
wind pipe; apparatus used for it. Execution by garotte was and is not common in Burma. U Ohn Khin failed to
explain properly but he translated as: 'Execution by squeezing the neck'. Many Burmese could be confused that the
three priests were hanged on the gallows because the execution by hanging on the gallow was and is very common in
Burma.
42
It means New Town in Tagalog, the main language of the Philippines. Nowadays, this field is known as the
Luneta Park. Here stands the monument commemorating Rizal a picture of which is reproduced in the book.
43
The book reviewer omitted many important points from page 24 to page 46. In U Ohn Khins original version,
there are many facts to be pointed out or discussed in a book review!
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
38
he was only three. His mother taught him Spanish and their mother tongue Tagalog. He was able
to read the Vulgata Bible in Spanish before he turned five. His mother was a graduate of a
Manila College and very fond of good literatures and poems. She trained him to read standard
literatures and how to write poetry. Because of that, he could speak, read, write and understand
Spanish and Tagalog since his childhood.

One day his mother told him the story of the moth and the flame of the lamp. Despite of the
warning of its mother not to go near the flame, the moth did and was burnt. Jose Rizal was not
interested in the motto of the tale instead he wanted to be adventurous like the small moth. He
admitted that in his writings later. When he grew up, went abroad and studied he had collected
many bitter experiences. Hence, his understanding and motto of the tale was that he wanted to try
to find a flame which would produce the light for his countrys independence, even if he, like the
small moth, had to risk his life to find that flame.

Jose Rizal was born on 19
th
June 1861. Since childhood he was good natured, hard working, easy
to be taught. He wanted to stay alone, fond of books, wanted to read and write. Sometimes he
wanted to listen to debates or went to churches and observed churchgoers. It was very strange for
a child his age and became mature much earlier than others. When he was six years old he was so
thin and looked weak, hence, his uncle let him do physical exercises. Without teaching from
anybody he could draw pictures and make models out of clay and wax. These proved that he was
artistic. When he was four years old his younger sister Concha died and for first time in his life
his tears fell because of love and sorrow. His father wanted him to become a scholar and sent him
to school. When he was nine he became an outstanding pupil despite of bullying by older pupils
and some sort of discrimination by some teachers in the school. The translator of the book, U
Ohn Khin believed that his bitter experiences in his youth as well as the arrogance, brutalities,
bullying and tortures of Spaniards towards the natives of his country pushed Rizal to decide to
become the national hero in the future.

Later his parents sent him to a Jesuit Mission School called Ateneo. He learnt from his elder
brother how some priests like Father Burgos were killed by the Spanish Government. He wrote a
poem about that with emotions. Though he was only eleven, he passed the entrance examination
very easily. He was a distinguish pupil and was awarded prizes. He started reading novels (in
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
39
Spanish). At that time his mother was arrested and had to stay in prison for two years. He wanted
to free his mother, relatives and his whole people from the foreign rulers. He noticed that the
Filipino mind was not in any respect inferior to the Spanish; hence, the pretence of Spanish
superiority was no basis but only the overawing military. And how could he free his own people?
Only education and political liberty could free them from the Spaniards!

Chapter (3)
In this chapter, it was written, Jose Rizal finished his Bachelor of Arts examination on 23
rd
March
1879
44
with highest honours from the Ateneo School. At that time he was only 16. A month
later, he enrolled at the Santo Thomas University. When he was 18 he was awarded the First
Prize in the competition among Filipino poets with the poem entitled To the Philippine
Youth
45
. In fact, he had no right to win because the competition was supposed to be for adults,
however, his poem was selected to be the best and he won. After that he participated with an
assumed name in another poetic tourney to celebrate the glory of the Spanish Poet Cervantes. He
won the First Prize again, however, when he was discovered to be a Filipino the laurel was taken
from him and bestowed upon a Spaniard. It became salt in the wound for him again because of
being a native Filipino
46
all doors of success were shut.

One day he returned to his native Calamba and found out that his mother was nearly blind.
47
Jose
Rizal was very good in painting and sculpture. Had he studied that field he should become one of
the top artists in the world. Once he made an excellent sculpture of Father Guerrico of the Ateneo
School. There are many other excellent paintings and sculptures produced by Jose Rizal. Apart
from that he was a good poet and dramatist. He wrote for his fellows a metrical drama called
Beside the Pasig and on December 8, 1880, it was publicly performed by one of the student
societies. This drama indirectly criticized the Spanish rule in the Philippines. Since that time he
was under the observation of the Spanish authorities. One day when he came back from his

44
It must be a typing error of the book reviewer. In the original book, the year he passed his exam was in 1876. In
1879 he was already 18 and could not be 16.
45
Original was in Spanish La Juventud Filipina
46
At that time, the natives of the Philippines were named Indios. The Spaniards born and lived in the Philippines
were called Filipinos and the Spaniards who came from Spain were the Spaniards. The natives of the Philippines
were called Filipinos only from the time of their Independence War against Spain.
47
He found out that not only his mother but also many natives of the Philippines were suffering from eye diseases.
Hence, he decided to study medicine, choosing ophthalmology to be his specialty.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
40
mothers house he did not see a civil guard staying in a dark place and not saluted him.
48

Because of not saluting the guard, he was slashed by that Civil Guard with his sword across the
back. When he reported this to the authorities, jeering indifference was all his reward. After that
incident he decided to go abroad for further studies, however, it was not easy for him to get a
passport. Hence, he applied for a passport by using the name of one of his cousins. His elder
brother Paciano and one of his uncles helped him to meet the travel costs. One younger sister
gave him her diamond ring to pawn. He slipped into Manila and after midnight stole abroad his
steamer. (When day broke he was well on his way to Singapore).
49


In this way U Ohn Khin described the bitter experiences and discriminations Jose Rizal had to
face while he was studying in the Philippines as well as the cruelties of the Spanish Government
towards the natives.

Chapter (4)
As soon as Jose Rizals absence was discovered, all members of the family were dogged,
watched, waylaid and cross questioned as if they were the suspects of a murder case. Jose Rizal
arrived at Barcelona via Singapore and France. He noticed that authorities of the Main Land
Spain and that of their colonies are totally different. He could move and talk freely in Barcelona.
He enrolled for medical studies, literature and philosophy at the Madrid University, while outside
the university he took art and modern languages. At first, he learnt Greek, Latin, French, English
and Italian. After that he took lessons in Catalan, Arabic, German, Sanskrit and Hebrew.
Although he was good in his studies and very polite he had about twenty friends whose
characters were similar to him, but he was not popular with social life. He carried to Madrid his
favourite notion of life led by time-tables; and, dividing his day into segments, set apart one for
general reading. While reading Journey to the Philippines
50
written by the German Philosopher
Dr. Jagor, he noticed the characteristics of the Natives of the Philippines. He liked the books

48
U Ohn Khin wrote ironically with humour that the civil guard was only an ordinary human being, neither an angel
nor a devata whose body is shining in the darkness; hence, the poor Rizal could not notice him and not saluted. Of
course, it was a big offence! A coloured native had to show respect to a colonial officer who was doing his duty and
was never doing wrong. The civil guard was so kind enough to slash him with the sword across the back. He had a
right to slash with the blade to Jose Rizals neck as a rebel!
49
This sentence was not in the Review; however, I found it in U Ohn Khins book.
50
As stated in the Book Review and U Ohn Khins book, however, it was not mentioned in the English Version of
Russell!
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
41
about the United States of America and their presidents because they became the head of states
not by divine rights but because of their abilities. Even a poor man could become a president
there. The American Independence war was his ideal type to regain the freedom of his own
country.

The money sent by his uncle was not enough for his existence in Spain and he had to work as a
teacher in a private school. Throughout all his studies he performed better in languages, history,
and literature than in medicine but he chose the medical profession because it could help his
desire. He became licentiate of medicine in 1884; however, because of financial shortages he got
his doctorate only in 1887.

He went to Paris and worked as a Clinical Assistant to Dr. L. de Weckert, one of the most famous
oculists then of Europe. He wanted to free his compatriots from the Spanish yoke and wrote the
Noli Me Tangere, the greatest work in Philippine literature and one of the greatest achievements
of all times and all lands. The second part of that story was written in Heidelberg, Germany,
while he was studying there. He knew that this kind of writing could send him to the gallows and
he recalled the tale of The moth and the candle flame which he heard from his mother while he
was young. Despite of the motto of the tale, he had an imagination himself to be the young moth
and wanted to be adventurous, even if he had to face dangers.

After Heidelberg, he studied in Leipzig and Berlin Universities. In the mean time he tried to
finish the Noli Me Tangere. He thought, many of his compatriots were uneducated and because
of lack of education they were still far away from independence. Furthermore, he believed, only
when one knew how to enjoy independence, one should fight for independence. Unfortunately,
Rizal had not noticed a fact that, nobody would know how to enjoy independence before they
gained their independence. This was one weak idea of Rizal about the Independence of the
Philippines.

In this way U Ohn Khin wrote about Rizals further studies abroad.

Chapter (5)
U Ohn Khin wrote, Jose Rizal thought, many of his compatriots were uneducated and because of
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
42
lack of education they were still far away from independence. Even if they would regain their
independence in those days, they could not stay as an independent country for a long time. He
had no doubt that one day in the future, the Philippines would become a great nation after the
country could regain independence. However, the natives of the Philippines should be educated
so that they could see how exploited and cruel the Spanish government was. Only then, they
could revolt against the Spaniards without using arms. With this intention he wrote the Noli Me
Tangere. The summary of the story is as follows:

A wealthy Filipino, who was even respected by the Spaniards, sent his son Juan Crisostomo
Ibarra to a school in Europe. While the son was in Europe the father had a problem with the local
friar, Father Damaso. The quarrel was about land. He was sent to jail and died in jail. Ibarra heard
of his fathers death, suspected that it could not be a natural death, however he did not know that
it had something to do with Father Damaso.

A Filipina called Sisa had two sons called Basilio and Crispin. Her husband was a drunkard,
bully, who usually beat and robbed her. Her two boys had to work as acolytes of the church in
another village, ringing the bells and doing all menial jobs. One day she cooked good meal and
waited for her sons, unfortunately, however, her worthless husband came and ate up almost all
the supper for the boys. Though Sisa was not happy, she dared not say a single word, otherwise
she would be bullied. After that her husband asked for the boys and went out again. She did not
eat her supper because it was no longer enough for three persons. The boys could not come back
too because the curate accused Crispin of stealing and demanded restitution, otherwise the boy
was threatened to be beaten to death. That night they were kept ringing the bells in the church
tower because the storm was raging and it is believed that the sound of church bells ringing keeps
off the lightning. While they were ringing the bells, they were again accused of not ringing the
bells properly and the friars dragged Crispin off to the punishment and locked Basilio in the
tower. Basilio untied the ropes from the bells and escaped from a window and rushed home.
Unfortunately Crispin was shot and killed by a Civil Guard. Later, Sisa was arrested for Crispins
alleged theft. She was paraded through the streets as a common malefactor and locked in jail.
Basilio hid in the woods. Sisa heard the destiny of her unlucky son Crispin and became insane,
when she was released from jail. She wandered about the country and lived on alms. When at last
she met her other son Basilio, she in her madness believed him to be an enemy and fled. He ran
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
43
after her and overtook her in time to hold her in his arms as she died.

Although Ibarra heard about the death of his father and his fathers body was thrown into the
pond by orders of the friars he did not notice that it was the plot of Father Damaso. When he
knew about that he decided to pay back with vendetta. In the mean time the friars planned to
liquidate him. He still had high impression on the Spaniards and he wanted to find a new system
of education to replace the useless old one. While discussing with a school teacher about the
education system it came out how Father Damaso cruelly treated teachers and pupils including
that teacher as well as how the teachers and the pupils had to tolerate those things. Ibarra
consoled that teacher and promised him that he would establish a school with his own funds and
did. Ibarra was warned that somebody would try to kill him on the day of the laying of the
foundation stone. Thats why he was careful on that day. As expected, the stone supposed to be
used for foundation fell down from above, but he could escape. At dinner in that night Father
Damaso came. Ibarra had no knowledge yet that Father Damaso was the one who killed his father
as well as plotted to assassinate him, however, Father Damaso could not control his anger
because his plan to liquidate Ibarra was in vain. Thus, he started insulting Ibarras father. Ibarra
became angry, boxed Father Damaso and squeezed his neck. Their fight ended when Ibarras
sweetheart Maria Clara, who was the daughter of Captain Tiago intervened and played the role of
mediator between them. After that the friars excommunicated Ibarra for using violent hand on a
friar, an unpardonable sin. Because of this punishment Captain Tiago broke off Ibarras
engagement with his daughter. Many rich Filipinos like Captain Tiago had high impressions on
the Spaniards. Ibarra and Maria Clara were playmates and grew up together. They planned to get
married when Ibarra returned from Europe. He had been true to her in all his seven years of
travel. However, their dream was destroyed by Captain Tiago. He accepted the request of a
Spaniard called Linares to become his son-in-law and declared the engagement between Maria
Clara and Linares despite of Maria Claras vehement protests.

In the mean time the governor-general visited Ibarras home town. Since Ibarras father was his
friend the governor-general helped Ibarra. The governor-general knew that between the friars and
the archbishops of Manila was a smouldering feud, for the archbishop was usually chosen outside
the four orders. He nudged the archbishop; the archbishop cancelled the excommunication,
however, with Captain Tiago the lifting of this ban upon Ibarra made no difference; he was still
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
44
anathema to all-powerful orders. The marriage between Linares and Maria Clara never came into
being because she was seriously ill. A coastal pilot called Elias informed Ibarra about Maria
Claras illness. It was Elias who warned Ibarra of the plot to kill him with the foundation stone.
Once Ibarra had saved Elias from the attack of a crocodile and the latter had sworn his gratitude.
Elias was known to be a boatman. It was only his undercover job. In fact, he was an educated
man who hated the misbehaviours of the Spaniards, wanted to revolt against Spanish rule and
organised people by chance. He told Ibarra his personal experiences about the cruelties of the
Spanish government. He also informed Ibarra that a personal letter of Ibarra sent to his lover
Maria Clara was for the time being in the hands of the friars and because of that letter they were
planning to arrest Ibarra as a traitor of the Spanish government. Ibarra wondered how the friars
got the letter which he gave to Maria Clara about seven years ago. He wanted to check whether
his lover betrayed him and surrendered that letter to the friars. Despite of Elias warning he went
to see Maria Clara. She told him the truth that the letter was stolen by a friar called Father Silva,
who courted her. She also told him the truth that she was not the biological daughter of Captain
Tiago instead she was the illegitimate daughter of Father Damaso. Satisfied that his lover was
innocent, Ibarra tried to escape from his enemies. Elias waited for him with a boat along the Pasig
River. Then they rowed upstream. One Civil Guard shot them with his gun. Elias was shot and
fell down into the river. The guards thought it was Ibarra and went back to Manila and reported
that Ibarra, the desperate rebel, trying to escape, had been shot dead. When Maria Clara heard
this news she gave up all hopes and became a nun.

In this way U Ohn Khin summarised the story in his translation.

Chapter (6)
In this chapter, U Ohn Khin explained that the Novel Noli Me Tangere was the true story of
Jose Rizals life. The story of Ibarra was the real experiences of Dr. Rizal. The imprisonment of
Ibarras father and mother were the real story of Dr. Rizals parents who were really arrested and
got prison sentences.
51
Father Damaso and Father Silva were the assumed names of the two friars

51
In U Ohn Khins book, Dr. Rizal showed the readers indirectly by the imprisonment of Ibarras father the way Dr.
Rizals mother got jail sentence. U Ohn Khin did not mention about Dr. Rizals father as the book reviewer wrote.
It is interesting that U Ohn Khin gave emphasis to this aspect of the novel without taking note of the character Sisa,
her husband and two sons. The Filipinos refer to their country as Motherland. In which case, Sisa was supposed to
represent the country and the cruel husband is Spain. The two sons are the people.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
45
with whom Dr. Rizal had bitter experiences. Maria Clara was the assumed person of Dr. Rizals
lover Leonora. While he was writing this novel Leonora was not yet married to a British Engineer
called Henry C. Kipping, however he knew already that the marriage would be unavoidable.

Most of Dr. Rizals novels are unique. Nobody, apart of him wanted to write in that style. He had
written of the social conditions of the Philippines and the life of the Filipinos then. He told the
truth about their beliefs, hopes, longings, complaints and sorrows. All Filipinos had to bear these
burdens because they had no other choice but to suffer. Despite of these burdens they could still
smile and laugh because laughing is the best remedy to avoid sorrows. Dr. Rizals novels were
full of tragedies and nobody wanted to read because they did not like to burst into tears.

Jose Rizal fell in love with his second cousin Leonora who was the daughter of his mothers first
cousin Antonio Rivera.
52
The uncle agreed them to get married when he came back from Spain
after his studies and gave him financial support during his studies. He was faithful to his
sweetheart and wrote regularly from Madrid and she replied. However, he was under
surveillances of the Spanish Government and they destroyed his reputation. Leonoras mother
changed her mind and persuaded her to marry an English engineer called Henry Kipping. The
mother talked only good things about Henry to her daughter daily and in the mean time she
bribed two postal clerks and intercepted the mails between Jose and Leonora. Leonora wondered
why she did not receive letters from Jose and it was the same for Jose. Finally, Leonora
surrendered to her mothers wishes, however, one day while her mother was not at home she

While U Ohn Khin translated this book, one novel called Doh May May (Our Mother) written by the author Maha
Swe was banned in Burma, in which he wrote a young and pretty lady called Ma Daung (Ms. Peacock) was happily
married and had six young sons. One day, a bandit leader called Ko In killed her husband and raped her and made
her as his wife by force. In fact, Ma Daung (Ms. Peacock) represented Mother Burma and her cruel second husband
Ko In represented England. After Ko In got Ma Daung, he not only misused all of her wealth and properties but also
bullied all steps-sons. He did not send the children to school and let them work for him. When the children became
teenagers, the five elder sons (who represented the ethnic minorities) did not like him but due to lack of education
tolerated him. However, the youngest son Maung Myo Nyunt (who represented the Burman), supposed to be the
most intelligent among them and an educated one, tried to revolt against the cruel step father and search for friends
who might help them.
52
It was written in both U Ohn Khin and the Book Reviewers versions, however in the original English book of
Russell and Rodriguez they wrote Antonio Rivera was uncle and benefactor of Jose Rizal. They did not mention
whether he was Rizals paternal or maternal uncle nor did they mention that he was a paternal or maternal cousin.
Most probably U Ohn Khin and the book reviewer took it for granted that she was his second cousin because
marriages between second cousins were and are not very strange in Burma, however, marriages between first
cousins, though not taboo, were and are not common in Burma with the exception of the marriages between Cross
Cousins among the Arakanese, which was the tradition of Lord Buddhas ancestors Sakka Sakis Royal Families.
(See compare and contrast Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Freedom From Fear. P. 64.)
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
46
received a mail from Jose Rizal and found out that Jose wrote her regularly but he never received
her replies. Only then she noticed the trick of her own mother, unfortunately, however, it was too
late for her because the wedding date was already set and everything was arranged. She died with
a broken heart two years later.

This was the tragic love story between Jose Rizal and Leonora Rivera.

Chapter (7)
In this chapter, Jose Rizal was not yet informed that Leonora became Henrys wife. He was still
writing the last part of his novel in Berlin. He had not enough money to publish. Once or twice
he decided to burn the manuscripts. In the mean time, he received a telegram from Maximo
Viola, whom he knew while he was in Madrid. Maximo Viola was a well to do man and he
wanted to make a tour inside Switzerland and Germany with him together. Jose told him his
problems and declined to join Violas trip. Viola gave him money for the publication as well as
for the trip. Then, Jose Rizal could publish his novel within a few weeks. Normally, it would be
difficult to send this kind of books to the Philippines. However, Jose Rizal used his tricks and
wits. He put those books in two sea trunks, declared as dried goods and addressed to two rich
merchants in Manila. When these books were in the Philippines everybody wanted to read the
books. The Spanish government made a committee to make a report about this book. The
committee reported that the book could endanger Spanish Rule in the Philippines and
recommended to ban the book. Although the book was banned Filipinos read the book secretly.
When Filipinos read this book some people stayed as scouts to watch for the authorities. These
scouts could warn the readers on time. In this way Dr. Rizals aim succeeded.

After his trip together with Maximo Viola, Dr. Rizal returned to his native land on 5
th
August
1887. He treated his mothers eye disease and she was cured and could see back. At the
beginning of 1888 he was summoned by the governor-general and asked for an explanation about
the facts accused by the committee. He gave the explanation. The government said his life was
endangered in the Philippines because he had made many enemies because of the book and some
people hated him. Thats why they wanted to suggest him to accept a bodyguard offered by the
government to protect his life. In fact, they wanted to put him under government surveillance as
long as he was in the Philippines. However, later that bodyguard became his friend. In any case,
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
47
the Spanish government was still thinking on how to crush Jose Rizal and his ideas. In the mean
time, the tax problems evolved. Jose Rizal studied the taxes between poor people and rich people,
then, he collected the signatures and made a petition to the government. In this way he became a
patriotic leader among the Filipino people. Although Governor General Terrero was a nice man
he could not do against the friars. Hence, he suggested Jose Rizal to leave the Philippines. Dr.
Rizal also agreed to that advice. Just to avoid the eventual armed rebellion he went abroad. This
time the authorities issued him the passport without any problem. He left for Hong Kong by ship
on 28
th
February 1888.

These were the pros and cons about his book Noli Me Tangere.

Chapter (8)
In Macao Dr. Rizal met some Filipinos in exile because of the incidents in 1872. Many educated
Filipinos as well as good people from the Philippines were exiled by the Spanish government in
1872. The Filipino Consul in Hong Kong advised him to stay in Hong Kong; however, he
discussed with the exiled Filipinos there and went to Japan. When he arrived at Tokyo he was
welcomed by the Spanish Diplomatic Mission there and gave him a job as a translator and
interpreter. In fact, the Spanish government wanted to keep Dr. Rizal under watch. He stayed
only one month in Japan; however, he could speak Japanese fluently when he left Japan for the
U.S. on 28
th
April 1888 the ship arrived at San Francisco, however, because of the outbreak of
cholera there, their ship was not allowed to harbour. When they were allowed to land he stayed at
the O Palace Hotel. He noticed unfortunately and unhappily that Asian-Americans (then
Chinese) and African-Americans (then Negroes) were racially discriminated by the Caucasian-
Americans (then Whites). After he had observed America he went to England. Visited the British
Museum and searched for the book about the Philippines and the Filipinos written by Antonio de
Morga in 1607.
53


Usually, the Spaniards never admitted that they ruled the Philippines brutally; instead they
claimed the natives of the archipelago were uncivilized and because of their administration
through law and orders the natives became civilized etc. etc., however, in this book, de Morga

53
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
48
stated that Filipinos were as civilized as the Spaniards, master in handicrafts, trades, navigation as
well as in ship building. Dr. Rizal thought his country deserved her independence from Spain.

He went to Paris and stayed in the house of a painter called Juan Luna. Luna was famous through
a portrait made at the residence of the governor general of the Philippines. Dr. Rizal lived in
Europe and wrote articles and novels in which he openly stated about the cruelties of the Spanish
government and friars of the Philippines. He was beyond the reach of the Spanish authorities and
friars of the Philippines, however, his relatives were still in the Philippines. Hence, they had to
face maltreatments.
54


Dr. Rizal told one of his friends that he decided to write seven books to agitate the natives of the
Philippines. If he finds out that his compatriots were not yet agitated even after seven books, he
had no other choice but he had to give up his struggle and would commit suicide.

His second novel El Filibusterismo was a philosophical-political treatise with a novelistic
trend. He wanted to point out to his compatriots to struggle for the freedom of their motherland
by themselves and particularly for the memory of the three priests executed at the Bagumbayan
Field, February 28, 1872.

In this way, U Ohn Khin described how Dr. Rizal left the Philippines for the second time and
wrote the second novel.

Chapter (9)
Somebody may think Dr. Rizal wanted to gain independence from Spain step by step through
reforms. It is not true. He wanted to see the Philippines be ruled by the natives. He wrote many
articles in the La Solidaridad and discussed the possibility of future independence for his
people. He set it as a century. It was urged that even if the Philippines were free they would
instantly be snapped up by some powerful and greedy neighbours such as Japan and Great
Britain. He said, if the Philippines succeed in winning their independence war, their people could
resist all other invaders like Holland, France, Britain and Germany. It was better to die rather

54
Not cleary stated in the Book Review. I translated accordingly from U Ohn Khins book.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
49
staying under a cruel regime. The solidarity and unity among the Filipinos were the most
important factor because the Spanish rulers in the Philippines introduced Divide and Rule
Policy among the natives. If his compatriots could not notice this trap of the Spaniards, the
future of the whole Filipino folks will be endangered, however, many Filipinos had seen the wits
of the Spaniards and the people were more united. The Spanish rulers knew about that and they
were also alert.
55
Still he hopefully clung to peaceful agitation as the means of improvement.

Retana wrote that Jose Rizal was the one that abhorred violent revolution in his mind but desired
it in his heart. He met many Filipinos in exile. Among them it was customary to circulate
pamphlets against the Spanish rule in the Philippines.

In Hong Kong one article was published, supposed to be written by a Filipino, which stated that it
should be better for the Philippines if the country would be ruled by the Spaniards also in the
future. It could either be written by a Filipino lackey of the Spaniards or a Filipino who got
money from the Spanish rulers. Perhaps he was not much of a Filipino; perhaps he was, in the
bulk, Spaniard. In October of that year, 1889, somebody countered the above mentioned article.
It was unsigned, but to the colonies and the authorities, the authorship seemed unmistakable.
Only one Filipino could write like that, who else other than Jose Rizal!
56


Chapter (10)
While he was thinking of his countrys future and pointing out the cruelties and injustices of the
Spaniards, Jose Rizal did not hide the weaknesses and shortcomings of the Filipinos. He wanted
to write the pros and cons of the Filipinos in French so that the whole world should know. Thats
why he had to study French and tried to master French, to be able to write in it as if it were his
mother tongue. He was able to prepare a French text book for students. At that time, his lover
Leonora had married Henry, hence, as a part of the remedy of the wound of his heart, he occupied
most of his time for the Filipino struggle for independence.


55
Not clearly stated in the Book Review. I translated accordingly from U Ohn Khins book.

56
Not clearly stated in the Book Review. I translated accordingly from U Ohn Khins book.


Mogyo, Jose Rizal
50
There were no participants from the Philippines at the 1889 exposition in Paris. Therefore he
organised an international league to make known to the world the facts about the Filipinos. He
called this society the Association Internationale des Philippinistes. The aim of this society
was: 1. International Conference for Filipino affairs, 2. Historical and scientific research about
the Philippines, 3. Printing of papers about the Philippines, 4. Propaganda about these facts.

Jose Rizal cited the writings of authors like Antonio de Morga and Gaspar de San Augustino and
pointed out in the La Solidaridad magazine that Filipinos became lazy because of the forced
labours introduced by the Spaniards. Filipinos were forced to cut wood with their own expenses
for Spanish ship buildings as well as in the dock yards works. Then, Filipinos did not work
properly because they were not paid. The Filipinos thought already: If we work harder, it will
profit the Spaniards. If we dont work hard they dont gain too much. So, why should we work
hard! Then, they were identified as lazy people. Population decrease on the Filipino Archipelago
was caused by the cruelties of the Spaniards.

It was Jose Rizals philosophy of his nation and people.

Chapter (11)
In this chapter U Ohn Khin described the unique characters of Jose Rizal.

When he arrived back in Madrid, Spain, Jose Rizal noticed that the ideas of Filipinos in exile had
changed within five years of his absentia. Most of them believed the Independence of their
country could not be achieved by peaceful methods. It was useless to approach and request the
Spaniards. All of them agreed that there was no other alternative but they had to revolt against the
Spanish authorities and declare an independence war. Many friends in the Philippines too
informed him that they would start the armed independence struggle soon. Jose Rizal personally
did not like violent actions such as armed struggles; however his Novel Noli Me Tangere
unwittingly supported violent struggle. He was thirty one at that time, in good health and was a
good speaker. Most of his speeches enchanted many people. He was not a talkative and an
overacting person, but open. He was kind, helpful and a good hearted man. Once he mentioned to
a friend, while strolling on one of the streets of London, that most friars in the Philippines
underestimated him, however, these friars had to regret it one day. He liked music and was a
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
51
good composer. Sometimes, while he was conversing with friends, his mind was either on
composing or thinking to write some articles. He might have some intuitions too. Once, while he
was strolling with a friend near the Bagumbayan Field, he predicted that one day he would be
killed by a firing squad inside this field.
57
Normally, he was very calm and could control his
anger; however, twice in his life he challenged two persons for duel by swords. It cannot be ruled
out that the cruelties of the Spaniards on his native land forced him to change his mind later. In
his second novel,
58
the hero was a Jewel Trader Simoun. In fact, he was the same person Ibarra,
the hero of his first novel Noli Me Tangere, who was not killed by the civil guards but escaped.
He had changed his name to Simoun and was active as an underground revolutionist. A wood
cutter called Tandang
59
Selo had a son Tales. Tales was a hard working person and could produce
a lot from his farm. The friars wanted to increase tax year by year. When he could not afford and
refused to pay, the friars organized some kidnappers and let them kidnap Tales. His daughter Juli
sold herself as a slave with five hundred pesos and paid the ransom. When Tales was freed by the
kidnappers he killed the one who represented the friars in his area and also the couple appointed
by the friars to work in his farm. After that he escaped and his old father was arrested. After Juli
went to meet the governor general and his secretary and requested for clemency, the old man was
released. This book held the interest of the people. In this way he pointed out the cruelties of
friars and Spaniards dramatically.

The story continued: The jewel trader Simoun organized for the armed rebellion. In the mean
time he became very sad because he was informed that his former lover Maria Clara died. Julis
boy friend was Basilio, one of the sons of Sisa from the first novel. The Spanish authorities
framed Basilio to be arrested and sentenced him to death. Juli had no other choice, but to
approach the influential friar Father Camorra and bribed him with her body as his sexual object.
Basilio was released from prison; however, Juli committed suicide by jumping out from the
window. Basilio joined Simoun, however, Simoun failed to persuade him in the plans for a
revolution. He added two other characters in this novel. They were Isagani, an educated and
ambitious Filipino and his lover Paulita. Isagani was arrested because he criticised a university

57
By the way, Gen.Aung San, the National Hero of Burma, the de facto prime minister of British Burma then, told
the British Governor Major General Sir Hubert Rance in 1947, just a few months before he was assassinated that he
would be killed by his political opponents one day, sooner or later. In that way he predicted his destiny like Jose
Rizal.
58
El Filibusterismo
59
This word means old man in Tagalog.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
52
teacher
60
. Paulitas parents made an arranged marriage with a different person and the date was
set for her wedding.

Simoun planned to start his revolution on this wedding day. Simoun presented a lamp with
dynamite inside. This will furnish the signal to attack and to blow up the whole house and all of
it. He told this to Basilio. Isagani stood in front of the house, hoping to catch one farewell
glimpse of his sweetheart. Basilio saw him and tried to lead him away before the explosion.
Basilio told him the truth. Isagani did not want the death of his sweetheart, ran into the house,
seized the lamp and threw it into the river. He too jumped into the river and committed suicide.
The plot of Simoun was revealed and he had to escape. He was shot and wounded. He died in the
house of a Filipino farmer. On his death-bed he confessed to a priest his real name and story.
When the priest said: God will forgive you Senor Simoun, we can see His infinite mercy, he
asked back the priest why God did not help people like him who had struggled for the
independence of his own people and his country. Then, he died.
61


Chapter (12)
In this chapter, it was written how Jose Rizal had to worry about his relatives in the Philippines.
He thought the Spanish authorities in the Philippines would take action against his relatives there
because he was in the Black List of the authorities there. He wanted to return to his country;
however, he noticed that the revolution would break out soon in the Philippines. Thats why he
went to Hong Kong instead and worked there as ophthalmologist and he was earning well. He
had a plan that his parents and closest relatives should immigrate to British Borneo, however he
realized that the Spanish authorities would not let his relatives leave the Philippines. During this
time, the Filipino Consulate in Hong Kong forwarded him with a passport an invitation letter
from the Spanish governor-general in the Philippines with the promise that he wont be arrested if
he would return to the country. He sailed back to the Philippines with his younger sister Lucia on
26
th
June 1892. When they arrived in Manila Lucia was accused of possessing an anti-
government letter with her, however, they were allowed to move freely. He established an
organisation called The Filipino Association with the aim for the unification of all Filipinos.

60
In the original story Isagani spoke with the greatest frankness to Father Fernandez, a Dominican friar, and one of
the instructors at the university
61
Here, I had to compare with U Ohn Khins book as well as the original book in the English version. Only after
that, I translated accordingly because it was not clearly written in the book reviewers version.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
53
The rules and regulations for the members as well as aims and motives of the association were
declared. In the eyes of the Spanish authorities, this association was a rebel association. When the
association grew the government arrested Jose Rizal. They wanted to arrest him long time ago
but now they got a chance. Despite of his arrest the association got more and more members.
Thats why Jose Rizal was kept in Fort Santiago at first and later he was transferred to the town
called Dapitan, in the Mindanao Island and put under house arrest. All orders came directly from
the governor-general.

Jose Rizal never trusted the Spanish authorities in the Philippines. Hence, he left two farewell
letters by his friends in Hong Kong before he came back to the Philippines. In case of his
assassination or death penalty, his friends should publish them. While he was in Dapitan he had
to stay in the house of the governor or commandant. During this time he read and wrote, studied
the culture of the natives of that island, collected the instruments used by the natives and
observed the wild animals of that island. In his free time he taught children, treated the patients
with eye diseases. He donated the money he earned to bring in water and electricity supply for
that town. He bought some plot and built a school for poor people. Whenever he wrote to his
sister he wrote intentionally some sentences in German, English and French so that the police
could not understand. Spanish authorities wanted to know what the aim of Dr. Jose Rizal was and
he told them 7 points. These are the most important needs of his country and people.

This was his life as a prisoner.

Chapter (13)
While he was under house arrest in Dapitan he requested the government that his mother should
be allowed to come and stay with him, but his request was turned down. During this time one
American mechanic, whom he knew in Hong Kong, came to visit him with the purpose of getting
eye treatment from Dr. Rizal. This American had an adopted daughter, an Irish lady called
Josephine. While he was treating the eye disease of this American mechanic Dr. Rizal and
Josephine became lovers.
62
There were also developments in politics. A man called Bonifacio
established a secret organisation called the Katipunan. After staying four years in Dapitan he

62
Both in U Ohn Khins and in the Original English Version it was stated clearly that Jose Rizal and Josephine
Bracken got married.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
54
heard the news that there was an epidemic in Cuba. He applied for the position of a doctor to go
there. He was allowed to go there and he left the Philippines on 3
rd
September 1896. While he
was in Barcelona the Katipunan started the revolution. He was arrested and sent back to the
Philippines. His old friend Dr. Antonio Regidor
63
planned to rescue him when the steamer should
reach Singapore, then British soil, however it failed. On 3
rd
November 1896 Dr. Jose Rizal was
sent to Fort Santiago, accompanied by many armed guards. He was accused of high treason. He
knew that he would be sentenced with the capital punishment; hence, he composed a poem with
the title My last farewell. He sent that poem to his mother and sisters by putting it inside a lamp
which he received as a present from a friend. On 29
th
December he was sentenced to death by a
firing squad within 24 hours. In that night he spent his time praying, reading, talking jollily with
the guards. He did not sleep and he had no sign of fear.

At seven oclock the soldiers came and tightly bound his arms behind his back and took him to
the Bagumbayan Field. He was 37 years and 28 days old.
64
While he was walking to the Killing

63
Both in U Ohn Khins Version and in the Original English Version it was written clearly that Jose Rizal was
arrested on the ship while the ship was still in Suez because the ships captain received a cable from Manila. A
fellow Filipino passenger called Pedro P. Roxas noticed their danger. He stepped ashore at Singapore while the ship
was at Singapore harbour and advised Jose Rizal to follow his example, however, the sturdy advocate of the
Philippine independence refused. He was taken to Barcelona as a prisoner and in the same afternoon he was sent
back to the Philippines as a prisoner by another ship.
64
It is not correct! I dont know how the book reviewer calculated the age of Dr. Rizal. I wonder whether the book
reviewer had read U Ohn Khins book properly!
In fact, Jose Rizal was born on 19th June 1861 at Calamba. He was killed on 30th December 1896. Hence, he was
36 years 6 months and 11 days old.
In U Ohn Khins version Dr. Rizal was 36 years old at that time and he had served his country for 24 years. Also in
page 283, where it was written: Exactly 37 years and 28 days ago, a Filipino patriot called John Brown walked on
the same path. He was taken to Bagumbayan Field to be executed in the same way.
However, in the Original English Version, Page 305, where it was written: Thirty Seven Years and twenty eight
days before, another martyr had gone forth to his death with the same clear-souled, untroubled calm. This is a
beautiful country, said John Brown, Osawatomie Brown, as with the sheriff he drove to the execution place; I
never noticed it before.
At page X of the Prefatory Note of the original English Version, the authors of the book wrote: The hope to make
available to American readers the story of the great man and national hero of the people the United States has
undertaken to lead to national independence. Besides, a sheriff can be found only in the United States but not in
the Philippines. Apart from that, the name Osawatomie Brown sounds more African American rather than a
Filipino. It can, therefore, be concluded that the reference to John Brown was the authors way of showing their
readers that Rizals calm acceptance of his execution is comparable to that of the other man familiar to them.
It appears that U Ohn Khin even failed to understand this point and thought that John Brown was a Filipino. Most
probably, the book reviewer did not read U Ohn Khins book thoroughly and bluffed that Jose Rizal was 37 years
and 27 days old when he was murdered!
By the way, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize Laureate and the most famous political prisoner in Burma, was
born on 19
th
June 1945. Hence, according to astrology, she is also in the same Zodiac as Jose Rizal and now having
very similar destiny like Dr. Jose Rizal. What a coincidence!


Mogyo, Jose Rizal
55
Field he talked about what he saw in that area when he was young. There were many people as
spectators. The Spanish government was afraid of that public and they let artillery regiments to
prevent the people who could storm, raid and rescue Dr. Rizal. He requested the officer of the
firing squad to shoot him in the front; however, the officer replied that they had to shoot him in
the back according to the order. Then, he requested not to be shot at the head but direct to the
heart and he be permitted to stand. These requests were granted. After that he said fair well to his
lawyer and the two priests and shook their hands. When a doctor checked his pulse it was normal
and his face was also very calm. After that he told the firing squad that he was ready. Then, eight
soldiers fired simultaneously. Before he fell down he still could turn his body so that he fell on
his back with his face upward.

A year, eight months and seventeen days after the killing of Dr. Jose Rizal, Spanish rule in the
Philippines totally collapsed. The Filipino people removed his body from an unknown burial
place and reburied him as a national hero. Every year, they honour him by celebrating the 30
th

December as Rizal Day.
65


In this way Jose Rizal sacrificed his life for the independence of his nation.

Analysis:
This book is about Jose Rizal and was published during the British Colonial Era. At that time, no
doubt, the author wanted to agitate Burmese youth for the Burmese independence struggle. It was
the authors main aim and purpose at that time. Even nowadays, this book can be recommended
as a good biography of a national hero who had sacrificed his life for the independence struggle
of his nation. This book can catch the attention of people who want to follow his example and
struggle like him for their own countrys development. It is a good book, however, some
interpretations, style of writing, syntax and terminologies used by the author were weak to point
out the real meanings and facts.
66


65
In page 288 of U Ohn Khins book and in page 329 of the Original version, the authors stated, after the revolution,
the Filipino Legislature sought to bestow a pension on Jose Rizals mother. She declined the pension on the ground
that it would lower the standard of patriotism observed in her family. The Rizals, she said, did not serve Filipinos for
money.
66
I have a different opinion. The late U Ohn Khins Burmese and interpretation was of much higher standard then
the Burmese, syntax and interpretation of the book reviewer. U Ohn Khins Burmese usages may be old fashioned
and too poetic for some Burmese nowadays because he wrote this book 70 years ago with the style then. At that time
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
56
4. U Thet Tun: Report on the Translation of the Biography of Jose Rizal
One of the earliest Nagani publications, numbered 6 in 1938, was the biography of Dr. Jose Rizal
by Mojo (pen name of the veteran journalist U Ohn Khin, husband of the well-known authoress
and founder of Dagon Magazine, Dagon Khin Khin Lay).
U Ohn Khin was an ardent nationalist and founded the wartime daily called Bama Khit
or the Burmese Era. Like most of his contemporaries, his only foreign language was English, as
betrayed by his transliteration of the Filipino hero's first name as Jose and not the Spanish
pronunciation of Hose.
In his translation, Mojo did not mention the name of the book he was translating but obviously it
must be a book in English, either an original or a translation from Spanish. So one need to do a
little detective work on the book Mojo translated. Among the basic biographies of Rizal, the
oldest is VUDA Y ESCRITOS DEL DR JOSE RIZAL by Wenceslao E Retana (Madrid 1907).
Since no English translation is mentioned, it must be ruled out. In 1938, the Government of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines made two awards to two biographies. One was BIOGRAFIA

Burmese vocabularies were not yet advanced and developed. U Nu, a former Nagani author, who became the first
prime minister of the independent Burma, supported to establish the Burma Translation Society and many scholars
were invited to help. Starting from that time Burmese vocabularies developed slowly and slowly up to the modern
stage.
Here, I have to point out bluntly, some of the modern usages totally and some words partially deviated from the
original meaning. One specific example: In the Burmese Royal Army, the highest ranking officer was called
Sitthugyi or Bo Hmu, hence, field marshal. Maha Bandoola was titled Bo Hmu Wungyi Thodo Thudama Maha
Bandoola. Normally, the title Thado was conferred only to the princes and not to the commoners. Maha Bandoola
was the only exception in the whole history. His deputy, the second in command was Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa. His
rank was Sitkei, hence, general. Only the third man was called Bo Gyoke, thus, Lt. Gen. Burmese army, jargons and
terminologies vanished after the collapse of the Kingdom. English jargons and terminologies were used in the army
during the colonial era. Many Burmese, except scholars, were no more familiar with these terms. As a result, when
BIA, BDA, PBF etc. etc. were established, the wrongly translated words came into being. Hence, nowadays, Bo
Gyoke means general and Bo Hmu means major! Hence, it totally deviated from the original meaning. Assuming, a
person who does not know Burmese history thoroughly and using an unscholarly Burmese as an informant, or using
some cheap dictionaries, he/she would have translated Bo Hmu Maha Bandoola as Major Maha Bandoola. Then, the
real scholars would have to exclaim Alas, after almost 200 years of the death of our beloved Sitthugyi Maha
Bandoola, he was unfortunately demoted from the rank of a Field Marshal to a Major by this stupid person!












Mogyo, Jose Rizal
57
DE RIZAL by Rafael Palma translated into English by R. Ozaeta. The other was THE GREAT
MALAYAN by Carlos Quirino who later became the post war Director of Public Libraries in the
Philippines. Chronologically, the latter is more likely, but Mojo might well have chosen some
other work in English to which he had easier access.
The special aim and intended impact of the book at the time of publication was inscribed on the
cover of the book itself. It says: "This book will change the mind of every reader". It also says:
The author vowed suicide if after his seven books, his country has not yet won its independence.
After two books he was killed by the (Spanish) Government. He courageously asked the firing
squad to be shot from the front.
Mojo dedicated his translation to the people of Burma with the following words:
"I was educated at schools constructed from revenues which were extracted from your hard-
earned incomes. You have therefore been my benefactors. But the education I received made me
fit only to serve another nation and not mine. Knowing your sacrifice, I have endeavoured in my
higher studies to repay my debt to you. May this work on the life story of Dr. Jose Rizal be the
beacon of light in your struggle for freedom and wellbeing. May this be the first step in the
fostering of noble souls like Dr. Jose Rizal to liberate you from misery."
Throughout the translation Mojo used fiery language to inspire the potential freedom fighters. To
describe the ignoble spirit and misdeeds of the Spanish oppressors, he used the language of
mockery. Mojo's translation was direct and not adapted, because he was writing about his idol
whose intellect he admired. Like Rizal, Mojo was a fiery writer and a courageous journalist.
Friend or foe he would not spare his criticism if he thought something was not right. The most
glaring example was when his friend and long-time colleague U Nu formed his Cabinet after
winning a landslide victory in 1960 Elections. Mojo's newspaper carried a headline "U Nu's
Mepya-pasoe" (well-worn longyi) meaning the same old uneducated leadership. As he predicted,
Nu's government soon fell into disarray giving rise to a coup d'etat by General Ne Win. And at
the first press conference given by the General, Mojo refused to stand up on the General's entry
which made the General stomp out of the room forever spoiling his relations with the Press.
The impact of Mojo's book on a thirteen year old student of a nationalist school who I was at the
time can be easily imagined. As I told a Filipino audience of Japan Alumni in 2001 in Manila,
"Jose Rizal was the first Filipino I knew from a Nagani book.
On reading Mojo's translation in Burmese I became a more ardent nationalist. Then when I was
able to read the biography in English (in fact while I was studying in wartime Japan), I became an
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
58
internationalist. Then in 1971, when I attended a Colombo Plan Conference in Manila as an
adviser, I was given Leon Ma. Guerrero's The First Filipino as a gift for my assistance by Letitia
Shahani (sister of President Ramos and later UN Assistant Secretary General).Reading this prize-
winning literary work rekindled my admiration for the Filipino hero. Then in 1984 as Director of
Asia at Unesco Headquarters I was finally able to pay tribute to my lifelong idol when a Paris
house which Rizal frequented during his European sojourns was dedicated to his memory."



Mogyo, Jose Rizal
59
4.1. Commentary on the report by U Thet Tun by Dietrich Schilling

At first I would like to mention that this report does very well in making me curious to read the
book.

The Report on the Translation of Biography of Jose Rizal gives very interesting hints on the
translator Mojo and his personal views and intentions but for my opinion misses a little bit to
work out the contents of the book itself; as a potentially reader I would appreciate to learn more
about this.

For my opinion some confusion also is left concerning the original book that was translated by
Mojo. Should it not be possible to either confirm or rule out the two titles mentioned (Rafael
Palma/R. Ozaeta respectively Carlos Quirino) by comparing the English and Burmese versions?
It could be of some importance to verify the true original because having done this one could
answer the question whether Mojo really presented a translation true to the original or maybe
added any personal views or even tried to intensify the intentions of the original book by his own
ideas.

Reading about the inscription on the cover of the book saying This book will change the mind of
every reader I feel very curious about knowing a little bit more about in which way the reader
shall be influenced and what he should understand?

The paragraph concerning the language used by Mojo gives a very good description of the author
himself, and the personal assessment by the reviewer of the book very clearly points out the
impact of Mojo's translation but still leaves open the intentions of the original book.


Dietrich Schilling





Mogyo, Jose Rizal
60
5. Nagani News, Vol. 1, 2 (1938), pp. 31-32; Book Review by Ye Ye Tauk

Biography of Dr. Jose Rizal, the great patriot of the Philippines, was published by the Nagani
Book Club in May this year. The author Moe Gyo wrote in the preface that he owed to his
motherland (Burma) and her people a lot, therefore, he wanted to repay his debts to his nation by
writing this book.

He started, how Magellan discovered the Philippines. After that both Spain and Portugal
claimed the Philippines to be their territory. Finally, for no reason the natives of the Philippines
became automatically the subjects of the king of Spain.

Since his child hood, the young Jose Rizal noticed that his compatriots were unfairly ruled by
foreign rulers and their lives were like prisoners. Filipinos had to suffer because most of them
lacked education. He made a resolution to rescue his nation and compatriots from that kind of
prison camp. He studied hard and passed the Bachelor of Arts Examination when he was only
16.

At the age of 18, he got the First Prize in the competition among Filipino poets with the poem
entitled To the Philippine Youth
67
. After that he participated with an assumed name in another
poetic tourney. He won the First Prize again, however, when he was discovered to be a
Coloured the laurel was taken from him and bestowed upon a White. He was very talented in
writing, painting and sculpture. For his further studies, he had to go abroad secretly.

While he was abroad he wrote the novel Noli Me Tangere, in which he described how cruel the
colonial government and the friars were and how his relatives and compatriots had to suffer. He
sent his novel to the Philippines. Did the novel held the interest of the Filipinos? The answer was:
Of course, much more than he expected. At that time, the Filipinos who could read and write
became very popular, they had to read loud and many people came and listened because his novel
books were very rare in the Philippines. Even for this kind of reading and listening, some
Filipinos had to work as scouts and watchmen so that they could warn the reader and listeners
when government surveillances came. The government issued warnings that the owner of that

67
Original was in Spanish La Juventud Filipina
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
61
book as well as readers and listeners would get punishment, either imprisonment or sent to exile.

The Filipinos revolted one hundred times during three hundred years of Spanish rule. Finally, the
Spanish government sentenced Dr. Rizal to death for no reasons. He was unfairly killed. Almost
two years after his death the Filipinos liberated their nation from Spanish rule.

The author wrote about the paintings, sculptures of Rizal and his two novels, Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo which agitated the Filipino Revolution. He mentioned that Dr. Rizal
could speak, read and write in more than ten languages. The author wrote the details of Rizals
biography from birth to death, how he cared for his health, his tragic love story. The author
mentioned that Dr. Rizal was so brave and calm even just before he was illegitimately killed by
the cruel Spanish Rulers. The author praised Dr. Rizals last poem which he composed in his last
night before the assassination.
68


Nowadays many good books are published in Burma. The publishing of Dr. Rizals Biography
will be very useful for all Burmese. It is most welcome! For many book worms, I should say, it is
like the Burmese proverb: He, who is looking for sweet meat, accidentally finds the Honey Pot.
So, my fellow Burmese People, dont hesitate, make your tongues ready to taste the honey! We
hope and wish you could taste the honey! We expect something out of you!









68
In the 12
th
century, during the Pagan Dynasty of Burma, the Minister Ananda Thuriya faced an unfair death
penalty. In his last minutes he requested the henchmen to allow him to compose a poem. He wrote a poem of four
paragraphs called Dhammata meaning Nature. After the execution the henchmen presented the poem to the king.
The king realized his mistake immediately and pardoned him, unfortunately, it was too late. The absolute monarch
regretted this and made a new decree that, even if the prisoners were sentenced to death by the king, the sentence
should not be implemented immediately but should be suspended for a month to nine weeks to give prisoners the
chance to request for a clemency during this period. This poem became a masterpiece in Burmese literature.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
62
6. Nagani News, Vol. 1, 2 (1938), pp. 33-34: My Last Farewell

The six poems written by Martyr Rizal just before he was shot dead by the firing squad
69

Freely translated and composed appropriately
70
into a Burmanized Poem
71

By an unknown author
72

These Poems should be read as an appendix of the Biography of Rizal, published by the Nagani
Book Club in May, 1938

Freely translated back into English in Prose Form by U Khin Maung Saw, Berlin
73


1. My beloved Island embraced by the Southern Sunlight, you deserve to be called the
genuine Pearl of the Pubhbha Videha
74
Sea! The land I adore! Now, I say farewell to you

69
In fact, Dr. Rizal wrote these poems in the night before he was killed and not just before he was shot dead as the
way Burmese composer claimed. Since Dr. Rizal was one of the few Idols for Nagani authors who agitated the early
steps of Burmese Independence Struggle, I have to conclude, this composer wanted to get the attention of Burmese
readers and wrote intentionally, just to compare Dr. Rizal with the famous Minister Ananta Thuriya of Pagan
(Bagan) Dynasty who wrote a poem with four paragraphs, just a few minutes before he was executed.
70
Dr. Jose Rizal composed these poems in the Spanish language. Charles Edward Russell and E. B. Rodriguez
translated them into English. The other English Version, in rime, was excellently done by Charles Derbyshire. The
Burmese writer translated freely and composed appropriately into Burmese poem. I translated these Burmese poems
back into English. Hence, I presume, more or less there may be some variations from Dr. Rizals original version.
71
Traditionally, Burmese people like dramatic and emotional poems, songs and acts so that a drama or a play would
enchant the public. There is a word called Zat-nar meaning to build up to a tragic climax or to touch the hearts of
the audience by a faultless performance. Indians like those styles much more than Burmese do. After the Indian
Immigration Waves in the Early Colonial Era, many Indians settled in the big cities in the coastal areas. Rangoon
became an Indian City rather than a Burmese City. Many theatre troupes wanted to enchant and attract Indian
spectators. Hence, Burmese Theatre had been more or less influenced by the Indian type, which is too emotional and
dramatic, much more Zat-nar than the normal Burmese style. Some characters of plays and dramas, whenever
they had some troubles or made the rulers angry, just kneeled down or some times rolled on the floor and cried by
chanting such expressions such as Mercy please! or Please be kind etc., even if they were war heroes or persons
possessing supernatural powers. This kind of scenes seemed so awkward for the Burmese nationalists who were
taught traditionally that a man should not cry, a hero must face death bravely etc. etc. Because of that, a new
Burmese slang Kala Mu Mu meaning overacting like an Indian was invented by ultra-nationalists.
Since these poems were written in the 1930s, and those over-acted dramas were a la mode at that time, it cannot
be ruled out that the author wanted to dramatize or make Zat-nar added some emotional words according to the
Burmese taste and emotions then. There were some terms from Buddhist literature, too. Dr. Jose Rizal was a
Christian. No doubt, it varied from the original version! Hence, I took the liberty to name the Burmese rimes as
Burmanized Poem.
72
The name of the author was not stated, however, because of the suggestion: These Poems should be read as an
appendix of the Biography of Rizal, published by the Nagani Book Club in May , it should be presumed that these
poems too were written by the same author of the Biography of Rizal, U Ohn Khin with penname Moe Gyo. The
term freely translated and composed appropriately were used by the author of the Burmese Version in Rime.
73
Though these poems may vary from the original version in some aspects, I have to admit that these poems were
written in a high standard and classical Burmese. Unfortunately, my English is not profound enough to translate
these poems in rime and as in the same standard as in Burmese.
74
According to Buddhist Cosmology, Pubhbha Videha is the Eastern Island. There are four big oceans surrounding
Mount Meru. Each ocean has a gigantic Island and many small Isles. Hence, here the author used the Buddhist term
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
63
calmly. I dare to sacrifice my life for the wealth and the freedom of my native land. I am
happy to die for you. Now I will go before you would again become the Paradise Island
where I could enjoy my life properly
75
. Though I am still young, I have no fear to give my
life for all of you, your happiness and your prosperous future. From the ancient times to
now, many heroes had laid down their lives in the fierce battles, without retreating and
surrendering. People sacrificed their lives for their nation willingly either in the battle
fields or on the gallows of the enemies regardless of victory, whether laurel and cypress
would be bestowed or not. Now, faint lights of the dawn are appearing slowly from the
east and breaking into the darkness. The darkness will be disappearing step by step. Very
soon, the call of Death will come which I will face bravely!
2. Dreams, positive dreams, I have some dreams! The distance is still far, however, I know
that my wish and goal will be achieved one day, so, I wont mind that I have to die; it will
be a noble death. I pray that my wishes and goals will come into being in the near future.
I wont see that anymore because I am leaving. My motherland, I pay homage to you and
I would like to express my gratitude and farewell to you. I repeat that I have no fear in
front of death because I am sure that my goals and wishes will be fulfilled sooner or later.
My beloved motherland, I am so proud and happy to be one of your dutiful sons. Now I
am breathing my last airs of your soil and I will take this joyful spirit to the end of the
world. Though my body will lie down in the earth forever and covered by the grass,
consider please that my soul is in your bosom. Some flowers may bloom between the
deep rich grasses, you may lay your lips there and kiss the flowers- It will be my soul.
3. In evening masses, when you are praying for everybody, please also pray for me whose
body will already be lying in the grave. Pray also for those who were taken by Maranha
76

(those who go down to death). Pray more for the freedom of many people who remain to
suffer torture in prisons. Pray for the bitter grief of our mothers, our wives and our
orphans. Pray too for yourselves, on the way to your final redemption.

the Pubhbha Videha Sea just to promote the style of the rime, however, in reality he meant to say the Orient
Ocean.
75
The composer translated indirectly into Burmese. Jose Rizals version was: Farewell to the plundered Paradise!
76
Maranha is the God of Death. In Burmese belief, if a person has to die, the God Marana will send his
subordinate and messenger called Yamado Yamaga to bring that person to him. This kind of belief is more or less
the influence of Hinduism. Buddha never mentioned about that! Nor Theravada Buddhism accepts this kind of
beliefs.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
64
4. The night is dark and quiet. Very soon, the silence of the night will be broken by the rays
of the dawn. I am waiting for that time. When I am dead and lying in a grave, leave me
alone, please dont disturb me from the deep sleep. The meaning of death is too difficult
to define, dont try to find out. If now and then, if you hear the sweet melody of a song
and the playing of a harp near my grave, please consider, it is my voice and my playing.
5. One day, my unknown grave will be soiled and diminished. Some peasants might plough
on it, the earth will be open and my remains will be mixed with the earth and soil. Many
people will forget me, but I am not sad for that. I shall be air in your streets and I shall be
space in your meadows. I shall be a vibrant speech in your ears. I shall be fragrance and
bright colour for you. Music and songs, as long as they remain, for ever repeating my
messages.
6. My fellow compatriots, all of us know that the burdens we had and have to bear are as
high as Mount Meru
77
and as deep as Maha Samuddra
78
. My beloved Philippine Isles,
Paradise by nature, my beloved friends and relatives, my sweetheart, all loved ones, I
cannot stay anymore and I am leaving you, adieu once again! The place where I am going
rules with justice; no tyranny, no one can bully and torture others. It is the real paradise
where God is the Ruler. Goodbye, my dear parents, brothers and sisters, dear friends,
soon, I will be released from the burdens
79
which I had to suffer in my life. Dont feel sad
for me but please consider that dying is being free from the burdens of life
80
. You should
thank (God) for my burdens cannot be extended anymore. Farewell, beloved ones,
farewell, I am leaving!



77
Mount Meru is the highest mountain in Buddhist Cosmology. It may be more or less comparable to Mt. Olympus
in the Greek Mythology. The Tavatimsa Heaven, the second level of the six abodes of Buddhists Devas, which is
also the Kingdom of Indra Deva or Thagyamin supposed to be at the crest of Mt. Meru. The Devas of the 1
st
and
2
nd
Abodes are his subjects. It is like the way the peak of Mt. Olympus supposed to be the residence of Zeus, the
king of the Greek Gods. The other gods were his subordinates. When Burmese want to emphasize a very huge
amount or infinite term, they usually compare it with the height of Mt. Meru.
78
Maha Samuddra means Great Ocean. The depth of Maha Samuddra is the other alternative comparison for a very
huge amount or infinite term.
79
I translated appropriately. The author used the Burmese word wut which is the corruption of the Pali word
Vipaka meaning the result or effect or consequences of ones past deeds of the previous lives.
80
I believe, the author of the Burmese poems took some ideas of His Holiness the Abbot of Zeebani, the then Sangha
Raja (the highest order among the Buddhist monks in a country) of the Burmese Kingdom, who composed a poem in
1886, just after the British annexation: We lost our king, we lost our nation, we lost our Capital City, we lost all.
For us, it is better to die, rather than surviving and living under these situations, as subjects of the foreigners!
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
65
ENGLISH VERSION OF RUSSEL AND RODRIGUEZ

Land I adore, Farewell! Thou land of the southern suns choosing.
Pearl of the Orient Seas! Our forfeited Garden of Eden,
Joyous, I yield up for thee my sad life, and were it far brighter,
Young, or rose-strewn, for thee and thy happiness still would I give it.
Far a field, in the din and rush of maddening battle,
Others have laid down their lives, nor wavered, nor paused, in the giving.
What matters way or place-the cypress, the lily, the laurel,
Gibbet or open field, the sword or inglorious torture-
Whent is the hearth and the country that call for the lifes immolation?
Dawns faint lights bar the east; she smiles through the cowl of the darkness,
Just as I die

Vision I followed from afar, desire that spurred on and consumed me!
Greetings! my parting soul cries and greeting again! O my country!
Beautiful is it to fall, that the vision may rise to fulfilment
Giving my life for thy life, and breathing thine air in the death-throe;
Sweet to eternally sleep in thy lap, O land of enchantment!

If in the deep rich grass that covers my rest in thy bosom,
Some day thou seest upspring a lowly tremulous blossom,
Lay there thy lips-t is my soul! ....

And if at eventide a soul for my tranquil sleep prayeth,
Pray thou, O my fatherland! For my peaceful reposing;
Pray for those who go down to death through unspeakable torments;
Pray for those who remain to suffer torture in prison;
Pray for the bitter grief of our mothers, our wives, our orphans;
Oh, pray too, for thyself, on the way to thy final redemption!

When our still dwelling-place wraps nights dusky mantle about her,
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
66
Leaving the dead alone with the dead, to watch till the morning,
Break not our rest, and seek not to lay deaths mystery open.
If now and then thou shouldst hear the string of a lute or a zithern,
Mind is the hand, dear country, and mine is the voice that is singing.

When my tomb, that all have forgot, no cross nor stone marketh,
There let the laborer guide his plow, there cleave the earth open.
So shall my ashes at last be one with thy hills and thy valleys.
Littlet will matter, then my country, that thou shouldst forget me!
I shall be air in thy streets, and I shall be space I thy meadows;
I shall be vibrant speech in thine ears, shall be fragrance and color,
Light and shout, and loved song, for ever repeating my message.

Idolized fatherland, thou crown and deep of my sorrows,
Lovely Philippine Isles, once again adieu! I am leaving
All with thee-my friends, my love. Where I go are no tyrants;
There one dies not for the cause of his faith; there God is the ruler.
Farewell, father and mother and brother, dear friends of the fireside!
Thankful ye should be for me that I rest and at the end of the long day.
Farewell, sweet, from strangers land-my joy and my comrade!
Farewell, dear ones, farewell! To die is to rest from our labors!


ENGLISH VERSION IN RIME BY CHARLES DERBYSHIRE


Farewell, dear fatherland, clime of the sun caressd,
Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!
Gladly now I go to give thee this faded lifes best,
And were it brighter, fresher, or more blest,
Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost.

Mogyo, Jose Rizal
67
On the field of battle, mid the frenzy of fight,
Others have given their lives, without doubt or heed;
The place matters not-cypress or laurel or lily white,
Scaffold or open plain, combat or martyrdoms plight,
T is ever the same, to serve our home and countrys need.

I die just when I see the dawn break,
Though the gloom of night, to herald the day;
And if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take,
Pourd out at need for thy dear sake,
To dye with crimson the waking way.

My dreams, when life first opened to me,
My dreams, when the hopes of youth beat high,
Were to see thy lovd face, O gem of the Orient sea,
From gloom and grief, from care and sorrow face;
No blush on thy bow, no tear in thine eye.

Dream of my life, my living and burning desire,
All hail! Cries the soul that is now to take flight;
All hail! And sweet it is for thee to expire;
To die for thy sake, that thou mayst aspire;
And sleep in thy bosom eternitys long night.

If over my grave some day thou seest grow,
In the grassy sod, a humble flower,
Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so,
While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below
The touch of the tenderness, thy breadths warm power.

Let the moon beam over me soft and serene,
Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes,
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
68
Let the wind with sad lament over my keen;
And if on my cross a bird should be seen,
Let it trill there its hymn of peace to my ashes.

Let the sun draw the vapours up the sky,
And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest;
Let some kind of soul oer my untimely fate sigh,
And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high,
From thee, O my country, that in God I may rest.

Pray for all those that hapless have died,
For all who have suffered the unmeasurd pain;
For our mothers that bitterly their woes have cried,
For widows and orphans, for captives by torture tried;
And then for thyself that redemption thou mayst gain.

And when the dark night wraps the graveyard around,
With only the dead in their vigil to see;
Break not my repose or the mystery profound,
And perchance thou mayst hear a sad hymn resound;
T is I, O my country, raising a song unto thee.

When even my grave is remembered no more,
Unmarkd by never a cross nor a stone;
Let the plow sweep through it, the spade turn it oer,
That my ashes may carpet thy earthly floor,
Before into nothingness at last they are blown.

Then will oblivion bring to me no care,
As over thy vales and plains I sweep;
Throbbing and cleansed in thy space and air,
With color and light, with song and lament I fare,
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
69
Ever repeating the faith that I keep.

My fatherland adord, that sadness to my sorrow lends,
Beloved Philippines, hear now my last good-by!
I give thee all: parents and kindred and friends;
For I go where no slave before the oppressor bends,
Where faith can never kill, and God reigns eer on high!

Farewell to you all, from my soul torn away,
Friends of my childhood in the home dispossessed!
Give thanks that I rest from the wearisome day!
Farewell to thee, too sweet friend that lightened my way;
Beloved creatures all, farewell! In death there is rest!
























Mogyo, Jose Rizal
70
7. Ba Choe, U Wizara
81

Translation and footnotes: Georg Noack

In Myanmar, in the state prison at Insein there is a piece of land the government cannot
overwhelm, cannot administer and has no opportunity to possess. This piece of land is Sm -
ground.
82
Sm - ground is not in the possession of the government, but is ground owned by the
Buddha. Members of the Sangha imprisoned for political reasons conduct uposatha
83
ceremonies
can according to the Buddhas commandments there on full moon and new moon days when
they are four monks or more. If they are not four, but only two or three, they can conduct a gana
uposatha
84
ceremony. And if there is only one monk, he can hold adhihana uposatha
85
. That
means a personal [puggala] uposatha. Because of their love for the ssana
86
because of their love
for the religion, those monks that have to go to prison received the permit to wear their robes in
prison and conduct uposatha ceremonies.
87
They can now follow the commandments of the
Buddha. Such opportunities were they given. Not because anybody had granted it to wishing to
promote the ssana. U Wizara, a noble real son of the Buddha, is a great martyr. Not being
granted the opportunity to practice according to the Buddhas commandments he decided not to
eat any food excelling in the virtues of resolution [adhitthn prami], forbearance [khanti-
pram] and morality [sla-pram] as few humans can. As he did not take nourishment for 166
days, he left from the human abodes that had not been worthy of him for the abode of the gods
where he was sent to the palace of the gods of tusita
88
by the gods who protect the ssana. The
people of Myanmar should not forget that it was only because U Wizaras taking great risk that
the monks are now permitted to do so [i.e. practice uposatha and wear their robes in Insein,
G.N.]. The yak [cmar] would not stand a single hair to be torn out, if it was caught in a thorny
shrub, it would rather stand still and die. U Wizara made an example for the rights monks ought
to have according to the commandments of the Buddha and preserved his own morality. For the
Myanmar people to understand this example he admonished us shortly before he died to remain

81
Nagani News vol 1, No 6 (August 1938) p. 1-2.
82
The area of a Buddhist ordination hall.
83
Conduct or hold uposatha is used in Myanmar language as meaning monks reciting the ptimokkha, the rules for
the monks, on full moon and new moon days
84
An upsatha-ceremony performed by less than four monks.
85
An upsatha-ceremony performed by a single monk.
86
(Buddhist) religion.
87
Alternative translation: Those monks that have to go to prison because of their love for the ssana, because of their
love for the religion.
88
The highest of heaven according to the Buddhist cosmology.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
71
virtuous so that even when the world perishes, we shall still remember. Who could forget such a
great martyr? Who would want to forget him? U Wizara showed us clearly the meaning of the
saying he who takes pains will reap rewards. The more pains we take, the more rewards we
will get. Now, on the second day of the Tawthalin
89
moon we experience the ninth anniversary of
U Wizaras great day.
90
According to the law of auspiciousness saying pujca pujaneyyana
91

one should revere those who deserve to be revered. Everybody revere him! Everybody intensely
revere him! Be all virtuous! Very virtuous! McSwiney
92
sacrificed his life and Ireland is
independent now! Jos Rizal sacrificed his life and the Philippine islands have achieved
independence. In Myanmar, where the venerable U Wizara sacrificed his life, we do still do not
have freedom. But think about whose responsibility is that? Now at the venerable U Wizaras day
let us resolve to follow his admonishment! Let us, all men of Myanmar, be virtuous.
Ba Cho

89
The sixth month of the Burmese calendar (September).
90
U Wizara died on September 19, 1938.
91
Paying respect to those who deserve respect.
92
Terence McSwiney (1879-1920) was on of the leaders of the Easter rising in Dublin, Ireland 1916. On August 12,
1920, he was arrested in Dublin for possession of seditious articles and documents. He was summarily tried by court
martial on August 16, sentenced to two years' imprisonment in Brixton Prison. In prison, he immediately started a
hunger strike. On October 20, 1920, he fell into a coma and died five days later after 74 days on hunger strike. He is
often quoted to have said: "It is not those who can inflict the most, but those that can suffer the most who will
prevail."
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
72
8. Khin Maung Saw, A Comparative Study of Rizals Biography, English
Version written by Russell & Rodriguez and the Burmese Version written by
Moe Gyo (U Ohn Khin)

The biography of Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines, was published by the Nagani
Book Club in the 1930s. The author used his penname Moe Gyo. His given name was U Ohn Khin
and he was the Secretary of the Nagani Book Club. He was well known as Hiking or Going on
Foot
1
U Ohn Khin at that time.

U Ohn Khin was already a well-known author and journalist when he established the Bama Khit
(Burma Times) newspaper where he was not only owner but also chief editor. He was the second
husband of the famous author Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay
2
who was the owner and chief editor of
Yuwadi Journal. He was a good friend of Gen. Aung San, the national hero of Burma, U Nu, the
first Prime Minister of Burma, U Thant, former UN Secretary General, and many other politicians
and military leaders. However, he was never a friend of Gen. Ne Win.

He became a foe of General Ne Win in the early 50s when his Bama Khit newspaper, under the
guarantee for press freedom given by U Nus government, published the news of the secret
marriage of Gen. Ne Win, the then Commander in Chief of Burma Army, Navy and Air Force, with
a married woman by the name of Daw Khin May Than. Daw Khin May Than, also known as Kitty
Ba Than, was a nurse and not yet divorced from her first husband. Bama Khit also published photos
of Gen. Ne Wins first wife Daw Tin Tin and their children and a photo of Dr. Taung Gyi, the
husband of Daw Khin May Than, who was then in USA as a Burmese State Scholar. Later, in
1958, when Gen. Ne Win became the Prime Minister of Burma during the Caretaker Government,
U Ohn Khin confronted him in his first and last press conference. Subsequently, during the entire
Caretaker Government Era, Gen. Ne Win never attended press conferences but let one of his
deputies, either Brigadier Aung Gyi or Brigadier Maung Maung, represented him. U Ohn Khin was

1
It is likely that U Ohn Khin did not use public transport whenever he came to office or whenever he visited friends.
The patron of almost all Nagani writers, Sayagyi Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, was also well known for not using public
transport. While he was working as a professor at the National College, he came to the college and returned back home
by foot, walking about 4 miles each way.
2
Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay was a granddaughter of Wekmasoot Myoza (governor of the town Wekmasoot) during
King Midons and King Thibaws Era. A Myoza had a right to take the tax of that town as his income. Daw Dagon
Khin Khin Lay had learnt the stories and traditions of the Burmese Royal Court from her grandfather and wrote some
books and articles about them.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
73
one of the first journalists detained by Gen. Ne Win after the 1962 military coup de tat.
1


In the late 50s U Ohn Khin was divorced by Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay
2
. Bama Khit closed down
and he became the owner and chief editor of the Moe Gyo newspaper while Daw Dagon Khin Khin
Lay continued as the owner and chief editor of the Yuwadi newspaper.

The biography of Jose Rizal under discussion was published on May 13, 1938, with 3050 copies in
this first edition. The book has 13 chapters and includes a picture of the Filipino people saluting
Jose Rizals Memorial Monument on the 30
th
of December, the Rizal Day.

U Ohn Khin admitted in the Foreword that he had translated the book called Jose Rizal; however,
he failed to mention the original title and author. The original book is supposed to be The Hero of
The Filipinos, the Story of Jose Rizal, Poet, Patriot and Martyr, by Charles Edward Russell and E.
B. Rodriguez, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London, 1924.

After reading the original English and U Ohn Khins translation, I have to conclude that U Ohn
Khin wrote his Burmese version based on the book of C.E. Russell & E.B. Rodriguez. However, he
more or less freely translated what most interested him, omitted some parts of the original version
and added his own ideas and comments throughout. Most probably he did not like certain passages
or thought they would not be appealing to the Burmese people. I should rather say it was Jose
Rizals biography by Charles Edward Russell and E. B. Rodriguez, Retold by U Ohn Khin with his
own ideas, comments and suggestions to the Burmese people.

On the front cover of the book, above the title Jose Rizal there is a sentence: After reading this
book, I am sure you will change your mind. The Foreword carries the title: I repay my gratitude
and U Ohn Khin started with the sentence: To my motherland and my dear compatriots of Burma,
you are really my benefactors because I was born and grew up on your soil and I was educated in a
school built with your taxes. I want to repay you, our motherland and my compatriots, by writing
this book. Furthermore, he added: My compatriots, people of Burma, I hope and wish this book

1
See Details in A Journalist, a General and an Army in Burma, written by U Thaung.
2
Traditionally, although it is socially stigmatised, a Burmese wife can divorce her husband easily or vice versa. The
pair has to divide the property accumulated during their married life equally. The property owned before the marriage
remains in the hands of the original owner and does not need to be divided. Neither husband nor wife has a right to
claim this property.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
74
may become the guideline of your independence struggle. May this book become a big search light,
as bright as the flames of a big volcano, for your way to free your country! I wish my efforts to
translate this book would become the first step of the ladder in your independence struggle. May I
wish that a person like Dr. Jose Rizal should soon appear in Burma! With this U Ohn Khin was
calling on the people of Burma, then a British colony, to consider Dr. Jose Rizal as an ideal person
and to follow his example of sacrificing his own life for the liberation of their motherland from a
foreign ruler

On the back cover of this book there was an advertisement of a book called Socialism, The Ism of
the Poor written by Thakin Soe, one of the Executive Committee members of the Nagani Book
Club. Needless to say, most of the former Nagani writers were leftists which was a la mode in
most of the British and French colonies then.

U Ohn Khins work is an excellent book. He looked to the Philippines as a neighbour of Burma and
considered the struggle of their national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, for the freedom of the nation from the
yoke of the Spaniards as enormously impressive. Through U Ohn Khins book, Dr. Rizal became a
popular hero for almost all of the Burmese youths in the 1930s and also became an idol for the
Burmese people of that time. Even in the 50s and 60s there were many stories about Dr. Rizal
written by many Burmese authors. In the Encyclopaedia Birmanica
1
, under the entry for Dr. Jose
Rizal, the publishers included a picture of Dr. Rizal standing bravely in front of the firing squad.

While the English version of Russell & Rodriguez had 17 chapters, and five appendices after the
killing of Dr. Rizal, U Ohn Khins version had only 13 chapters and the last chapter ended when Dr.
Jose Rizal was killed by the firing squad. U Ohn Khin added only two more paragraphs:

1. One year, eight months and seventeen days after the killing of Dr. Jose Rizal, Spanish rule in
the Philippines totally collapsed. The Filipino people removed his body from an obscure burial
place and reburied him as a national hero. Every year, they honour him by celebrating the 30
th
of
December as Rizal Day.

2. After the revolution, the Filipino Legislature sought to bestow a pension on Jose Rizals

1
Published in the early 1950s by The Burma Translation Society, patronized by the former Nagani Author U Nu, the
then Prime Minister of Burma.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
75
mother. She declined the pension on the ground that it would lower the standard of patriotism
observed in her family. The Rizals, she said, did not serve Filipinos for money.

In the original, the authors continued the story, recounting how the Katipunan and the Filipinos
revolted against the Spaniards and detailing the conflicts between the Filipino patriots and the new
invaders, namely the U. S. A., who had bought the Philippines from the Spaniards and did not
recognize Filipino Independence but turned the Philippines into an American Colony. They also
wrote about Dr. Rizals parents, his brothers and sisters and his widow Josephine.

The first chapter of the English version started with the execution of the three innocent native
Catholic Priests, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Emilio Zamora. The Spanish
government sentenced them together with other Cavite Rebels to death. They were garroted. The
literal translation of U Ohn Khins version was: These three priests were executed by squeezing
the neck
1
. Since garrote is not very common in Burma and as he did not explain properly, many
Burmese readers could have been confused and could have believed that all of them were hanged
2

on the gallows at Bagumbayan
3
death field.

In the English version too, it was written that Father Gomez was already 85 and that he and the
other two priests prayed for the henchmen while they were being taken to be liquidated. On p. 4,
there was written: He was garrotted on Bagumbayan Field, fronting the sea of Manila; a place
consecrated in the Filipino mind to the memories terrible and yet grand. Native poets and orators
who have been there see every blade of grass springing from the blood of heroes are hardly over-
imaginative.

In the Burmese version, U Ohn Khin dramatized that story slightly more than that of the English
version in accordance with Burmese taste to make it more Zat.nar
4
. It cannot be ruled out that he

1
The meaning of the verb garrotte is given in the Oxford Dictionary as: Execute a person condemned to death by
strangling or throttling, a stick being twisted to tighten a cord over the wind pipe being the apparatus used.
2
Some Filipinos believe that these three priests were guillotined (beheaded). The Guillotine was invented by the
French and the Philippines was under the Spanish rule. Hence, I believe these priests were really garrotted, to plant fear
among the natives so that they would not dare do anything against the Spanish rulers.
3
It means New Town in Tagalog, the main language of the eight provinces that started the revolution in the
Philippines. Nowadays, this field is known as the Luneta Park.
4
Traditionally, Burmese people like dramatic and emotional poems, songs and acts so that a drama or a play could
enchant the public. There is a word called Zat-nar meaning to build up to a tragic climax or to touch the hearts of the
audience by a faultless performance.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
76
wanted to point out indirectly that similar things happened in Burma, too. In 1933, the British
government beheaded some members of the Saya Sans Peasants Revolution and showed their
heads as an exhibition to the Burmese public, just to plant fear in the natives so that they would
not dare do anything against the British rulers.

Apart from that, he wanted to pour gasoline on the fire for the Burmese independence struggle
against the British by writing indirectly: The Spaniards tortured the revolutionaries as well as
innocent people very cruelly, much more than the third degree in modern days, so that the natives
would fear; however, the more the Spanish government tortured, the more the revolutions broke
out. Sometimes, the Filipinos had to tolerate the torture, as in our Burmese Proverb; as long as one
cannot defeat the enemy, he/she has to practice the Khamti Parami
1
.

Unlike the English version, U Ohn Khin started Chapter one with an introduction to the geography
and history of the Philippines for the Burmese readers. He explained why the archipelago did not
carry the name used in the native language but was named as the Philippines just to honour the
ruler of Spain. These explanations were not in the version of Russell and Rodriguez because they
were not needed for Filipino and American readers. U Ohn Khin stated that the Philippines lies
slightly to the southeast of Burma and that the distance between the Philippines and Burma is more
than one thousand miles as the crow flies. However, the Philippines is to the northeast of Singapore
and the distance is approximately two thousand miles as the crow flies. Furthermore he added:
The Philippines is not too far from Saigon, where our beloved Prince Myingun
2
and his two sons

1
The Buddhist practice of patience and forbearance
2
Prince Myingun was one of the elder sons of King Mindon, the founder of Mandalay City. King Mindon practiced
polygamy and is supposed to have had more than 50 sons, but none of his sons was named as his heir. Instead he named
his younger brother, Prince Kanaung, as the Crown Prince. This led to a palace revolution headed by Prince Myingun
and his younger brother Prince Myin Khondaing. Although they could assassinate their uncle, Prince Kanaung, their
revolt failed because the other elder sons of King Mindon such as Prince Thonzai and Prince Mekkkaya sided with their
father. After the aborted coup they hijacked a British steamer at one of the jetties of Mandalay and escaped to Lower
Burma, then a British territory. From Rangoon they went to Pondichery in India, then a French territory. After the
death of his younger brother, Prince Myin Khondaing, Prince Myingun transferred to Saigon, then French Indochina.
From there, he tried to invade Burma many times. During the First World War he thought he had a golden
opportunity and marched towards Burma. The situation, however, had at that time changed and the British and French
had become allies. The French Governor General of Indo China ordered French troops to stop him and his followers at
the East Bank of the Mekong River, the then border between British Burma and French Indo-China, which, since 1954,
is also the border between Burma and Laos.
There were rumours that the name of the elder son of Prince Myingun was Prince Moe Gyo (meaning Thunder) and the
name of the younger one was Prince Teza (meaning Glory). When the Minami Organ was established, the Japanese
Colonel Suzuki wanted to have a Burmese name. Since the Japanese word Minami means Thunder in English, Aung
San gave him the Burmese name Bo Moe Gyo. The Saturday-born son Aung San took the name Teza according to his
zodiac. Almost all of the Thirty Comrade Members changed their Thakin names to Bo names in accordance with
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
77
have to live poorly. In this way he wanted to agitate for the Burmese Independence Struggle.

Then he wrote why the isles were named Philippines. In the year 1519 A.D, a Portuguese
navigator called Magellan became a subject of the Spanish king, Charles V, and on his majestys
service he sailed westwards with five ships in search of the Spice Isles. They crossed the Atlantic
Ocean, sailed down to the southern-most point of South America and reached the Pacific Ocean.
There they sailed westwards and had to suffer due to, among other things, the dangerously high
waves and the shortage of food and water. After 98 days of sailing in the Pacific Ocean, on the16th
of March 1521, they found an island. The natives of that island stole nearly everything they had.
Hence, they named the island Ladron (Island of Robbers)
1
and they sailed off further to the west
in search of the Spice Isles. A few days later they discovered an Archipelago. To honour the
Spanish Crown Prince Philip, they named the Archipelago The Philippines.

In the English version they did not give details such as those in U Ohn Khins version. U Ohn
Khins background information is much longer and includes more facts about the Philippines and its
people. It appears that U Ohn Khin wanted the Burmese people to become familiar with the
Philippines.

Furthermore, U Ohn Khin made an ironical comment, Magellan and his followers might have

their day of birth based on astrology. For example, the Wednesday-born Thakin Hla Pe became Bo Let Ya, the
Tuesday-born Thakin Aung Than became Bo Setkya, the Saturday-born Thakin Shu Maung became Bo Ne Win, the
Tuesday-born Thakin Hla Maung became Bo Zeya, Sunday-born Thakin San Hlaing became Bo Aung, Thursday-born
Thakin Saw Lwin became Bo Min Gaung and so on.
The creation of Bo Moe Gyo (General Thunder) and Bo Teza (General Glory) could either be a blind coincidence or
cleverly made by Colonel Suzuki and Aung San, nobody knew. In any case, some Burmese welcomed the marching of
BIA together with the Japanese Imperial Army inside Burma because there were rumours which eventually became one
of the biggest propaganda campaigns, that the Burma Independence Army was headed by Prince Moe Gyo (or Prince
Thunder), a son of the revolutionary Prince Myingun, hence, he was a grand son of King Mindon, the real heir to the
Burmese throne! There was also another coincidence. When the BIA was inside Burma and recruited sufficient troops,
Bo Teza changed back to his former name Aung San and he kept this name until his death. Except from him, none of
the other Thirty Comrade Members changed back their names until their dying days. Why did he change back to his
former name? Aung San was well known to be a very open and honest man. He was a popular student leader and the
founder of BIA. Most probably, he did not want the populace to confuse him with a son of Prince Myingun but wanted
to show his proper identity! It cannot be ruled out that Colonel Suzuki intentionally and wittingly took the name and
persuaded Aung San to do the same, because the Japanese made similar propaganda in the Dutch East Indies, now
Indonesia. There was a folk tale that one day a national hero would chase out the White Rulers with the help of a
Yellow Race from the East. Before the Japanese armies came to East Indies this story was broadcast daily from Tokyo
Radio and pamphlets were thrown from Japanese planes. Later, the Japanese were welcomed by the natives. When the
Japanese-trained Army was established in the East Indies, the former officers of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army like
Nasution and Soeharto joined that army voluntarily.
1
Isla delos Ladrones
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
78
forgotten or ignored what Jesus Christ taught: If you are slapped on the left cheek, please turn your
right cheek to be slapped. However, the Spaniards taught the natives how to become good
Christians and how to behave as good Christians, so that the natives had to turn one cheek after
another whenever the Spaniards wanted to torture them. The way the Spaniards treated the
Filipinos and Indians in America was comparable to the way the Roman Emperors tortured the
Christians in the early centuries AD, however, the Pope at that time neither stopped nor condemned
it. By showing the similarities of all colonial masters he indirectly highlighted British treatment of
the Burmese.

U Ohn Khin wrote: The natives of the Philippines welcomed Magellan and his sailors and treated
them well at the beginning, however, when Magellan and his followers forced the natives at gun-
point to be baptised, Magellan and some captains of the ships were liquidated by the natives.

I dont know where U Ohn Khin got this historical fact. According to Filipino history books,
Magellan was killed by the Chieftain called Lapu Lapu
1
before he could land on the shore. Some of
his followers escaped and the next mission came many years later with gun boats and made the
Archipelago their colony. Here I would like to cite one Filipino version of the story of the
Chieftain Lapu Lapu: He was the King of Mactan Island and was known as the first Filipino
hero. When Ferdinand Magellan, a Spaniard who "discovered" the Philippines, landed in Cebu, he
ordered Filipinos to honour the king of Spain. Chief Lapu-Lapu refused his demand. Magellan,
along with 48 soldiers, met Lapu-Lapu in Mactan Island for a battle. During the battle, Magellan
and 15 of his men were killed. For 54 years thereafter, no Spaniard set foot in the Philippine soil.
2


Here too, U Ohn Khin made an ironical comment: If Magellan had not been killed by the natives,
later he might have committed suicide for regret and sorrow that he named those islands The
Philippines to honour Prince Phillip because when later Prince Philip became the king of Spain, his
reputation was not good and he was known to be one of the notorious kings of Spain.
In the English version, on p. 17, it was written: Spain laid claim to the entire Archipelago, more
than two thousand sizable Islands. Portugal disputed this, neither having the slightest just basis for

1
In the Philippines, there is a sea fish called Lapu Lapu, too. Hence, a famous joke evolved among the Filipinos:
Who killed Magellan? Lapu Lapu! Who killed Lapu Lapu? Who else! Fishermen!

2
Source: Mga bayani ng Lahi (Heroes of the race), emanila.com
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
79
its claim, until, the pope settled the quarrel out of hand and gave the Philippines to Spain.

While describing how both Spain and Portugal wanted the Philippines to become their soil and how
the pope had to intervene, U Ohn Khin wrote much longer with his own comments that both Spain
and Portugal were grabbing undue rights like two robbers fighting for the booty. The pope too,
divided the whole world as if the world were his own property, inherited from his ancestors, and as
though he had the divine right to do so. U Ohn Khin wrote that the Philippines archipelago
belonged to the natives of that archipelago, the Filipinos, and that apart from them, no one had any
rights to the land. In this way he echoed the claims of the Burmese from The Doe Bama Asiayone
(We Burmese Organization) indirectly: Burma is our land, Burmese is our language, we, the
Burmese should rule our country.

On p. 35 he wrote: On the administrative side, Spaniards used guns and cannons for the
maintenance of their law and order and exacted obedience from the natives; from the first to the last
the rulers had but the one broad policy, which was to overawe the people they ruled and subjugate
them with fear. On the educational side the account was wholly different. The missionary priests
established schools and taught the natives properly. However, they practiced justice a la
espangnole, and most of the Mr. Justices became Mr. Injustices when there was a court case
between a native and a Spaniard or if the accused was a native. It was as in our Burmese proverb,
carrying water with one hand and carrying torch of flame with the other hand so that one can set
fire and distinguish it later whenever he likes.

U Ohn Khin wanted to point out that the same thing was happening in Burma between the British
rulers and their subjects. Once, a British officer was drunk and had a car accident where a native
was mortally injured. Mr. Justice J. S. Furnival did his duty as a judge very fairly and sentenced
that Englishman to imprisonment according to the act. As a result, Mr. Furnival was boycotted by
the British community in Burma.

Furthermore, U Ohn Khin wrote: The Spaniards discriminated the natives and those of mixed
descent, and those of mixed descent discriminated the natives. Because of that, the natives hated
both. However, some Filipino parents wanted to have a white Spaniard, rather than a native man as
a son-in-law.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
80

I sincerely believe that U Ohn Khin wanted once again to refer indirectly to the situation in Burma,
because during the Colonial Era, the British opened clubs, only for the whites or Europeans,
only for those of mixed descent and only for the natives. In transportation too, the first class
wagons of the trains and the first class cabins of the steamers were reserved for the whites alone.
The pure whites looked down upon those of mixed descent and they in turn looked down upon the
natives, the people of Burma.
1


It is clearly pointed out on p. 42, where U Ohn Khin wrote: All whites, whenever they became
the ruler or administrator of a place which is very far away from their homeland, and especially if
the natives of that place are coloured, they automatically assumed that the natives were inferior to
them in every aspect. Because of that mentality, they practiced all kinds of tyranny, injustice,
segregation and cruelties there. Details could be observed all over the world: how Belgian colonial
masters behaved in the Congo in Africa, how Dr. Pete conducted himself in South Africa and what
Germans did in the South Seas. Generally, Europeans or whites were terrible and very cruel,
whenever they conquered and ruled a land of a coloured people.

With the following sentence it cannot be ruled out that U Ohn Khin wanted to compare indirectly
the Friars of the Philippines to the most hated Indian Chattiars in Burma: The Spanish Friars
owned many lands and they became very powerful. In fact, the Indian Chattiars became big
landowners, too. However, the Spanish friars, aside from being landowners, were also more
powerful than the Governor-General of the Philippines. Due to monastic rule, any Governor-
General who did not dance to the friars tunes were either recalled by the Spanish throne or
assassinated by the lackeys of the friars. Chattiars on the other hand could be powerful only in the
law suites in the civil courts, either to take the land and properties of the people who borrowed
money from them due to On Demand Papers or to auction lands and properties of the person who
was in debt. In any case, the Chattiars too were the subjects of his/her majesty. Normally they had
to obey the orders of a township or district level colonial officers unless they could put that officer
in their pocket by means of bribes.

1
After Burmese Independence in 1948, many persons of mixed descent, mostly Anglo-Burmans and Anglo-Indians,
either left the country or changed their names to synchronized Burmese names and stayed in Burma. For example Mr.
Charles Brown became U Chit Nyo; Ms. Sandra Miller became Daw Sandar Min Hla and Victor Booth became U Aung
Bu. Similarly, a Sikh, Mir Singh became U Mya Sein, a Bengali Muslim called Musa became Maung Sa and a Mogul
called Kaman Lattiff became U Khin Maung Latt, and so did a Chinese Tan Ang Swee become Tin Aye Swe.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
81

In Chapter 3, U Ohn Khin indirectly compared the abuse of power of the civil guards of the
Philippines at that time and the colonial police of Burma, which was staffed to a large extent with
Indians: One day when Jose Rizal came back from his mothers house he did not see a civil guard
staying in a dark place and consequently did not salute him. Because of not saluting the guard, he
was slashed by that civil guard with his sword across the back. When he reported this to the
authorities, jeering indifference was all his reward.

Here he commented ironically with humour: The civil guard was only an ordinary human being,
maybe even a native collaborator of the colonial power or a coloured person they brought from their
other colonies, but neither an angel nor a devata whose body is shining in the darkness; hence, the
poor Rizal could not take notice of him and did not salute. Of course, it was a big offence! A
coloured native had to show respect to a colonial officer, either coloured or white, who was
doing his duty and was never doing wrong. The civil guard was kind enough to slash him with the
sword across the back. The guard had a right to slash with the blade and to cut Jose Rizals neck as
a rebel. It was a big piece of luck for Jose Rizal because the civil guard was a kind hearted civil
guard!

While giving the summery of Noli Me Tangere, it is interesting that U Ohn Khin gave emphasis to
this aspect of the novel without taking note of the character Sisa, her husband and two sons. The
Filipinos refer to their country as Motherland. In which case, Sisa was supposed to represent the
country and the cruel husband Spain. The two sons are the people.

There was one novel called Doh May May (Our Mother), written by the author Maha Swe, which
was banned in Burma. A young and pretty lady called Ma Daung (Ms. Peacock) was happily
married and had six young sons. One day, a bandit leader called Ko In killed her husband and
raped her and made her his wife by force. In fact, Ma Daung (Ms. Peacock) represented Mother
Burma and her cruel second husband Ko In represented England. After Ko In got Ma Daung, he
not only misused all of her wealth and properties but also bullied all stepsons. He did not send the
children to school and made them work for him. When the children became teenagers, the five
elder sons (who represented the ethnic minorities) did not like him but due to lack of education they
could not do anything against him and had to tolerate his bullying. However, the youngest son
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
82
Maung Myo Nyunt (who represented the Burmans), and was presumed to be the most intelligent
and educated among them, tried to revolt against the cruel step father and search for friends from
the neighbourhood who might help them.

I dont know whether it was Maha Swes own idea or whether he got an idea after reading Noli Me
Tangere.

In Chapter 6 of U Ohn Khins version, Jose Rizal fell in love with his second cousin, Leonora, who
was the daughter of his mothers first cousin Antonio Rivera. In the original English version
Russell and Rodriguez wrote that Antonio Rivera was uncle and benefactor of Jose Rizal. They did
not mention whether he was Rizals paternal or maternal uncle, nor did they mention that he was a
cousin of his mother or father. Most probably U Ohn Khin took it for granted that she was his
second cousin because marriages between second cousins were and are not very strange in Burma.
However, marriages between first cousins, though not a taboo, were and are not common in Burma
with the exception of the marriages between cross cousins (children of brothers and sisters) among
the Arakanese (Rakhaings), which was the tradition of Lord Buddhas ancestors Sakka Sakis Royal
Families.
1


The heading of Chapter 7 in the English version was Again in the Philippines. U Ohn Khin titled
his Chapter 7 Leaving the country for the second time. However, most parts of this chapter were
the translation of Chapter 7 of the English version, except U Ohn Khin added one sentence on p.
150 where Maximo Viola gave Rizal money for the publication of the book Noli Me Tangere as
well as for the trip. He stated it was very similar to the way Friedrich Engels helped Karl Marx, so
that Karl Marx could publish his book Das Kapital. This comparison was not in the English
version.

As I mentioned earlier, most of the former Nagani writers were leftists which was a la mode in
most of the British and French colonies then, and U Ohn Khin, too, wanted to add the names of
leftist leaders wherever it was possible.
On p. 153, he described how popular the book Noli Me Tangere was: Although the book was
banned in the Philippines, almost all Filipinos read it secretly. Some educated Filipinos had to take

1
See, compare and contrast Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Freedom from Fear. P. 64.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
83
a role of Reader. When he/she read this book many people, literate as well as illiterate, came to
listen. Others stood guard to watch out for the authorities. These scouts could forewarn the readers
of government surveillance when detectives were coming. Then U Ohn Khin made a very harsh
comment: In all colonies of the whites, the most important duty of the government surveillance
and detectives is to watch the subjects of his/her majesty properly and ascertain what kind or type of
books they read. For that purpose, they would put their nose everywhere to sniffle, as if a dog were
putting its nose inside a pile of excrement full of lice. In this way he analyzed the colonial
situation in Burma wherever it was possible.

Chapters 8 to 12 of the English version were shortened in U Ohn Khins version to Chapters 8 to
11. Chapter 12 of the English version was titled El Filibusterismo. In U Ohn Khins version El
Filibusterismo was included in Chapter 11.

U Ohn Khin titled his Chapter 12 as: Return to the Native Country to face Death. In fact, this
chapter was the combination and summary of chapter 13, Safe Conduct, and a large part of
Chapter 14, The Exile of Dapitan, in the English version.

U Ohn Khin named his final chapter, Chapter 13, The Execution. In fact it was also the
combination and summary of the last part of Chapter 14, The Exile of Dapitan, Chapter 15, ,The
Katipunan, and Chapter 16, From Martyrdom unto this Peace, in the English version.

Jose Rizal was born on 19th June
1
1861 at Calamba. He was killed on 30th December 1896.
Hence, he was 36 years 6 months and 11 days old at his death. In U Ohn Khins version he stated:
Dr. Rizal was 36 years old at that time and he had served his country for 24 years. This was not
stated in the English version. Most probably, U Ohn Khin wanted to call on the people of Burma,
then a British colony, to consider Dr. Jose Rizal as an ideal person, to follow his example of
sacrificing two thirds of his own life for the liberation of his motherland from a foreign ruler.
On p. 283 in U Ohn Khins Chapter 13,, as Dr. Rizal was taken to the Bagumbayan Field, he wrote:
Exactly 37 years and 28 days ago, a Filipino patriot called John Brown walked on the same path.

1
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize Laureate and the most famous political prisoner in Burma, was born on 19
th

June 1945. Hence, according to astrology, she is also in the same Zodiac as Jose Rizal. Like Dr. Jose Rizal, she too
married a foreigner. Now, she has a destiny similar to his. Was it a coincidence or due to their Zodiac? Or has it
happened because of their similar Kamma?

Mogyo, Jose Rizal
84
He was taken to Bagumbayan Field to be executed in the same way.

However, in the English version, p. 305, it was written: Thirty Seven Years and twenty eight days
before, another martyr had gone forth to his death with the same clear-souled, untroubled calm.
This is a beautiful country, said John Brown, Osawatomie Brown, as with the sheriff he drove to
the execution place; I never noticed it before.

On p. X of the Prefatory Note of the English version, the authors of the book wrote: The hope to
make available to American readers the story of the great man and national hero of the people of the
United States has undertaken to lead to national independence. Besides, a sheriff can be found
only in the United States but not in the Philippines. Apart from that, the name Osawatomie Brown
sounds more African American rather than a Filipino. It can, therefore, be concluded that the
reference to John Brown was the authors way of showing their readers that Rizals calm
acceptance of his execution is comparable to that of the other man familiar to them.

It appears that U Ohn Khin failed to understand this point and thought that John Brown was a
Filipino.

As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, when Dr. Jose Rizal was killed by the firing squad, U
Ohn Khin ended the last chapter with the addition of two more paragraphs, stating that the Spanish
rule in the Philippines totally collapsed one year, eight months and seventeen days after the killing
of Dr. Jose Rizal. He went on to describe his reburial, the annual ceremony to honor him, and the
attempt of the Filipino Legislature to bestow a pension on his mother, a pension which she declined,
saying the family did not serve the country for money.

In contrast, the English version, as detailed above, had 17 chapters and five appendices including
much information which U Ohn Khin may have thought irrelevant for Burmese readers.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize the main points emerging on the basis of this comparison
between the English and Burmese versions:
1. The English version of Russell & Rodriguez had 17 chapters and five appendices; however, U
Ohn Khins Burmese version had only 13 chapters.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
85

2. No doubt, the Burmese version is Jose Rizals Biography freely translated by U Ohn Khin,
who repeatedly added his own ideas and comments. In contrast to that, he omitted some parts of the
original version.

3. I would, therefore like to name the Burmese version Jose Rizals Biography by Charles Edward
Russell and E. B. Rodriguez, Retold by U Ohn Khin with his own ideas, comments and suggestions
to the Burmese people.

4. Although U Ohn Khin stated that he translated the book The Hero of the Philippines, he in
fact used it wherever possible, but most particularly in the first chapter, as a guide in analyzing the
colonial situation in Burma.


Mogyo, Jose Rizal
86
III. APPENDICES

Appendix 1

SHORT INFORMATION on the MAKING of the BOOK REPORTS

CHOSEN BOOKS from the bibliography will be provided on a lending basis by the manager [or for
people in Myanmar through the Myanmar Book Centre in Yangon (55 Baho Road; telephone 221-
271, 212-409)].

TWO REPORTS on each book by different persons are accepted.

LENGHT: 8,000 to 12,000 words (plus special space, if desired);

LANGUAGE of PUBLICATION: English; manuscripts in Myanmar language will be translated;

CRITERIA (must not slavishly be observed):

1. Biographical information about the author/translator, and other contributors;

2. Information about the non-Myanmar sources used in the book; (if the book is a translation,
the original English version will be provided, too, if possible;)

3. Summary of the books contents;

4. Information about the special aim and intended impact of the book at the time of
publication;

5. How are foreign terms and concepts translated or transformed into the Myanmar language
and the Myanmar context? (May be omitted!)

6. Personal assessment by the reviewer of the book, its impact on later times and its meaning
for today

DEADLINE of DELIVERY of the REPORT: December 31, 2005 (the deadline can be extended);

DELIVERY of the REPORTS DRAFTED: Directly to the manager of the project by email or
through the Myanmar Book Centre.

COMMENTS and EDITING: The reports will be commented upon by another person. The reviewer
may react on the comments and answer the questions as he or she likes. The responsibility for the
final editing of the reports is with the project manager.

REWARD: As a financial reward, each reviewer will receive 50 US $ at the time of submitting the
book report and 30 US $ after the final editing.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
87

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS like recollections of elder people, who remember the impact of
Nagani on their life, and essays on subjects related to the club (Nagani Song, Nagani Magazine, the
role of literature in disseminating knowledge in Myanmar, etc.) are very much appreciated.
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
88
Appendix 2

INFORMATION about COMMENTARIES on BOOK REPORTS

1. The commentaries asked for shall serve two aims

First (and most important): To start a dialogue on Myanmar's intellectual and literary
heritage between interested people inside and outside of Myanmar.

Second (and important, too): To check the clarity of the report with regard to the intended
publication.

Therefore, the commentator should be interested in Burma affairs and in the general topic of
the respective book, but must not know anything about its specific content.

2. Length of each commentary: Must not exceed the space of this paper.

3. Some hints that may be useful to observe in writing a commentary:

Are their any questions that are brought up by reading the report?

If yes, what kind of questions do arise?

Are the criteria listed in the Short information on the making of book reports (see
attachment) met by the book report?

What information on the book report do I find interesting/exciting or
unnecessary/redundant?

Is there anything that I would recommend to the author of the report?

Delivery of the commentary: It would be appreciated if the commentaries could be sent by email to
the above mentioned email address. If the author of the report chooses to react on the commentary,
the commentator will be informed.

Affairs to come: All participants will be informed about the development of the publishing process
of the reports and are invited to participate in future deliberations and activities. - Questions and
recommendations are very much appreciated!
Mogyo, Jose Rizal
89

MYANMAR LITERATURE PROJECT

starting with an investigation into the NAGANI BOOK CLUB

The project's
Working Papers
are published by
the Department for Southeast Asian Studies of Passau University

Already Published:
10:1, An Introduction into the Nagani Book Club
10:2, Thein Pe, Saya Lun and Member of Parliament
10:3, Ba Hein, The World of Capitalists
10:4, Thein Pe, Students Boycotter
10:5, Ba Khaing, Political History of Burma
10:6, Nu, Gandalarit
10:100, Papers Presented at the Burma Studies Conference, Singapore 2006
---------------

Some Nagani Books
were scanned and are available on CD.

For details contact
[email protected]

--------------

All Working Papers published until now are available
at
http://www.zoellner-online.org/mlp.htm
and at the Online Burma Library
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=2083


Mogyo, Jose Rizal
90





INVITATION

Readers are invited to participate in the project by

writing comments and criticisms on the contents of
this and other volumes of this series;
contributing essays on Burmese/Myanmar literature as
a medium between the international world and
Burmese society;
providing material that sheds more light on the
Nagani Book Club, its context and impact on Burmese
intellectual and literary life;
offering assistance as translators and commentators of
book reports.

-----------------------------------------------------

For contributions and questions, please contact:

Dr. Hans-Bernd Zllner
University of Hamburg and Passau
Tel: 0049-40-8317961
Fax: 0049-40-84051735
Mail: [email protected]