Monk Ashin Sopaka came from a poor family. This meant that as a child he spent a lot of time walking from one place to another. What started out as a side effect of poverty slowly translated into a movement for peace and freedom.
A Burmese exile, Ashin has dedicated his life to Peacewalking. Drawing inspiration from Gandhi’s peaceful protests against British rule in India, Ashin hopes that his Peacewalks will send a strong message to the dictatorship in Burma. He believes that Peacewalking is an effective and easy way to unite people from all over the world, and what better way is there to unite than through a movement as peaceful as this? No dictator would think of clamping down on people who are simply going for a walk. Well, at least that’s what you’d think.
In 2007, Ashin started a Peacewalk that would aim to cover the length of Thailand. Unfortunatey, he was unable to complete this walk due to harassment by Thai military authorities who eventually arrested him and forced him to leave the country. In this film produced by Soul Rebel Films, Ashin recounts the events of this Peacewalk, telling a disheartening story of a government that continues to steal people’s freedom of speech and the inspiring story of a man who refuses to give up hope for his country.
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