Posted on by ASEAN Tribune

Photo gallery: Wounded protester: “Fighting for the next generations”

Ko Phyo says he was shot and wounded on the front lines of one of the protests against the coup in Myanmar. Now, he’s adjusting to life as an amputee and single parent in a country in chaos.

2021-06-18

Ko Phyo, 24, sits in his wheelchair at his home on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar. He says the soldier who shot him removed the bullet with a knife and a policeman he knew took him to a military hospital. "I started feeling the pain, and I couldn't bear it. I told them to cut off my leg immediately. They cut it on the seventh day." (REUTERS)
Ko Phyo, 24, sits in his wheelchair at his home on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar. He says the soldier who shot him removed the bullet with a knife and a policeman he knew took him to a military hospital. “I started feeling the pain, and I couldn’t bear it. I told them to cut off my leg immediately. They cut it on the seventh day.” (REUTERS)

Ko Phyo prepares to take a shower with his 2-year-old son, Paing Phyo Oo, at his home. "I feel terrible when he asked, 'Dad, where's your leg?'," Ko Phyo says. "So, I replied, 'A dog's eaten my leg but it will grow later.' And he still believes it." (REUTERS)
Ko Phyo prepares to take a shower with his 2-year-old son, Paing Phyo Oo, at his home. “I feel terrible when he asked, ‘Dad, where’s your leg?’,” Ko Phyo says. “So, I replied, ‘A dog’s eaten my leg but it will grow later.’ And he still believes it.” (REUTERS)

Concern about the future for his son drove Ko Phyo to join the anti-junta protests - where he served as a guard protecting fellow protesters from security forces - and motivated him to recover faster, leaving the hospital after 12 days, he says. (REUTERS)
Concern about the future for his son drove Ko Phyo to join the anti-junta protests – where he served as a guard protecting fellow protesters from security forces – and motivated him to recover faster, leaving the hospital after 12 days, he says. (REUTERS)

Ko Phyo uses his crutches to balance as he locks his home. He’s been learning to use his crutches when outdoors to deal with the uneven roads and paths that run between the fields of his township. (REUTERS)
Ko Phyo uses his crutches to balance as he locks his home. He’s been learning to use his crutches when outdoors to deal with the uneven roads and paths that run between the fields of his township. (REUTERS)

Ko Phyo looks to buy a toy for his son at a shop near his home. (REUTERS)
Ko Phyo looks to buy a toy for his son at a shop near his home. (REUTERS)

Maneuvering in his three-room home is one of the many things Ko Phyo has had to learn since losing his leg. (REUTERS)
Maneuvering in his three-room home is one of the many things Ko Phyo has had to learn since losing his leg. (REUTERS)

His son is adapting to Ko Phyo’s new reality too, playing games with his father and bringing him snacks and cushions to make him comfortable on the floor. When the country becomes stable again, he hopes to return to his job handling vehicle licensing with the road transport authority. (REUTERS)
His son is adapting to Ko Phyo’s new reality too, playing games with his father and bringing him snacks and cushions to make him comfortable on the floor. When the country becomes stable again, he hopes to return to his job handling vehicle licensing with the road transport authority. (REUTERS)

The loss of his leg is a small sacrifice, Ko Phyo says, compared to that of the hundreds killed, including one of his fellow guards, a 15-year-old girl. (REUTERS)
The loss of his leg is a small sacrifice, Ko Phyo says, compared to that of the hundreds killed, including one of his fellow guards, a 15-year-old girl. (REUTERS)

"All protesters out there are fighting for the next generations,” Ko Phyo says. “The military is supposed to protect its own people, but they are killing us instead. We must keep fighting. We must win this revolution to bring justice for fallen souls." (REUTERS)
“All protesters out there are fighting for the next generations,” Ko Phyo says. “The military is supposed to protect its own people, but they are killing us instead. We must keep fighting. We must win this revolution to bring justice for fallen souls.” (REUTERS)