Ko Strong is one of millions who has suffered under the oppression of the Burmese government and military.
In the 1990s, he became a political prisoner after the military branded him a threat to the regime.
Strong was arrested and endured 7 days without food and little water.
For 6 months, Ko didn't see the sun or any form of natural light.
He endured days of pain that bled into weeks and months.
“I felt hopeless,” he says. Strong was incarcerated for more than 5 years, during which time he was subjected
to various forms of physical and mental torture.
In Myanmar, Ko’s mother came to visit him every two weeks, but the military intentionally put people in jails
that were far away from their homes to make it difficult for any loved ones to go see them.
His mother would repeat over and over, “you [can] never be arrested again”.
Eventually, Ko was able to flee to Bangkok. Ko was then able to travel to the U.S.
“I came to the US for freedom-- freedom for speech, assembly, religion, press, to petition the government.
Back in Burma the government controlled everything.”
Strong arrived in the U.S. through the Honolulu airport in 1999. He studied at the New York Institute of Technology
and IVY Tech Community College, and in 2009 he began working for Catholic Charities,
who recruits incoming refugees with English language experience to help refugees in their integration process
who do not speak English. He continues to work there today, more than 20 years later.
Ko Strong is every bit what his surname suggests: though he has been subjected to the cruelty and oppression
of the Burmese military regime,he was able to build a new life for himself in the United States and has dedicated
his life to helping other refugees with their own integration process.
