Malaysians decide to stay despite escalating violence in Myanmar

 

Editor’s note: Names have been changed to keep their identities confidential.

Hearing gunshots during the night has become the new norm for Andy, a Malaysian who lives in Yangon, Myanmar.

Just two days before this interview, a maternity hospital near his housing area was terrorised by gunshots; sounds that now remind him of an ex-colleague who got killed in a separate incident.

"He was a young guy, and he was shot. I also have another ex-colleague who was driving downtown, and then he got picked up. They pulled him out of the car, and he got bashed up for no reason, so things are really happening, directly to the people I know."

The armed forces of Myanmar launched a military coup on Feb 1 this year and overthrew the democratic government.

In its wake, a tremendous wave of resistance emerged. The Civil Disobedience Movement, or CDM, was launched.

The Myanmarese took to the streets to protest and go on strike, and even the banking system was crippled.

For almost two months now, hundreds of people have been in conflict as the civilian government collapsed and the military Junta continued to oppress the nation.

Amidst the turbulence, some foreigners have fled the country. KiniTV spoke to the three Malaysians who decided to remain in the country.

Andy, Ann and Ben are all Malaysians working at local companies as executives in Myanmar who have been working and living there for more than seven years. All of them were caught off guard when the sudden coup d'etat took place.

"I was shocked. Really didn't expect after almost 10 years of democracy, they will revert to this," said Ann via a video call with KiniTV using the WiFi network at a hotel lobby in Yangon.

---

Watch KiniTV's interview with Ann, Andy and Ben here.

---

Since the coup in February, the military government had intermittently blocked mobile internet services in most parts of the country. Because of that, Ann will now need to go out to look for places that still have broadband connectivity to get online.

Another Malaysian, Ben, said that he is rarely out since the coup took place and only went out between 6am to 9am, if needed.

"It's a live-one-day-at-the-time at this point. There is a lot of insecurity around here.

"Tomorrow, there may be a barricade directly in front of the house that I am staying in, it's going to be soldiers right in front of the house I am staying in. It could, you never know," he told KiniTV.

Meanwhile, Andy noted how the protests were no longer about politics but rejecting ruthless terrorism.

"All my colleagues, they are all on the streets. Some businesses are allowing their employees to go on the street because it is their right.

"Initially, it was a bit political, but once the killing started, it became something about humanity. It's no longer political. A party versus B party, it's terrorists killing people.

"I think it shifted into a very different kind of focus. The brutality and violence don't make sense. We are in the country, so we see it. People are really fighting for their life," Andy said.

With the military taking strong action in its crackdown against CDM, some of Andy's friends have gone into hiding as their names are being published on national TV.

Even though the situation in Myanmar is worsening, Anne, Andy, and Ben consider themselves lucky to be still able to hang onto their jobs.

However, the reason they chose to stay on is not merely because of job security but also because of their empathy for the people of Myanmar, as they wished to stay on and be with their local friends and colleagues.

"We are not just here for business. We have made friends here, we have a good network of locals that can support us in need and what we can do is also try to support them," said Andy.

For Ann, she said she wished to stay in Myanmar till the day she can't.

"They are being bullied, brutally bullied. The word is really brutally bullied, and nothing is being done to protect them. That's the hardest part for us to see and to witness. I think the world needs to keep knowing that this is happening.

"For me, I just can't do it, to just selfishly abandon them, right at the time when the country turns ugly.

"Perhaps there is not a lot that I can do, I can't go out and fight with them in the frontlines of whatever it is, but at least I am here to offer my support to them, morally, if they need a listening ear or whatever it may be," she said.

As for Ben, he sees Myanmar as his second home after being there for seven years.

"I may not be a local here, but I have made a very strong connection with the country and the people here.

"To be honest, I don't feel this sad for my home country. I feel this sad here with everything that's going on. I just hope the violence will stop." - Mkini