resistance fighter
Ai Chan heard gunshots followed by an explosion.
“I didn’t know whether I was hit or not,” the 21-year-old told Reuters, recalling the military assault last year that cost him his leg.
When he tried to stand up, his legs were not working. A comrade took him to the hospital, where he awoke to find that one had been amputated below the knee.
A factory worker who made instant noodles before the coup was part of a huge crowd that took to the streets demanding the restoration of democracy after the coup.
When protest groups began to take up arms, he joined them.
For the first time at the front his heart was thumping.
“Then I looked at my teammates and they were smiling and laughing. I was not afraid.
While morale among resistance troops is high, he said, they are outnumbered by a well-equipped army.
“When they shoot, they shoot continuously, we can’t even raise our heads,” he said. “We need to save bullets too.”
Now, he spends most of the day sleeping, cooking and sharing food with friends. He said, “I try to live my life as happily as possible.” “I can’t do the things I used to do.”
Reuters is not disclosing his whereabouts for security reasons.
He has no regrets about joining the resistance.
“If I get well enough, I will go back to war. This is till the end.