The Malaysian Insight

THE situation in Myanmar seems to have stabilised after the military coup on Monday but Malaysians there are still worried about what the immediate future holds.

They told The Malaysian Insight that while daily life has resumed, albeit with a military presence on the streets, there are fears of what will happen next week when anti-coup protests are expected to take place.

However, they said that they felt safe in the country for now.

James, a 36-year-old F&B business owner in Yangon who did not wish to give his full name, said the whole incident was very surreal.

“I have not experienced such an incident before. I still remember the first day of the coup when I woke up in the morning and started getting a bunch of messages on my phone about it,” he said.

He said the phone lines were cut off and ATM machines did not work. Radio and television broadcasts were also suspended.

“Only on the first day, you saw a lot of people panic buying and also rushing to the ATM machines but from the second day onwards, everything was back to normal.

“There have been a lot of rumours going on about soldiers patrolling every kilometre but all those are not true.

“There are military patrolling the streets, there might be one or two, but not hundreds,” he said.

Having been in Yangon since 2012, he also said the political situation in Myanmar was very much like in Malaysia where they fight among themselves to be in power, but the people live their life as usual.

He added that there wasn’t any additional information on special regulations under the military coup but the people there were still following the Covid-19 protocols.

Following the coup on Monday, Malaysia’s embassy in Myanmar urged Malaysians in country to remain calm, vigilant, and continue to adhere to the safety advisories of the local authorities with regard to ongoing security.

The embassy said it had more than 600 Malaysians registered, where most of them comprise businessmen and professionals working with various companies.

Quite a number of them were with their families, said the embassy.

People afraid

Sixty-year-old Lat is a Malaysian working as an engineer in Myanmar. He said the situation is normal for now.

However, he was not sure what would happen next week, because there might protests.

“On day one of the coup, things were very strange and quiet. Many shops were closed and the traffic on the road was minimal but things got back to normal the next day.

“People are still afraid of what is happening to a point where some of my colleagues do not even show up for work.

“Although things are slowly getting back to normal, the traffic is quieter at night as people are heading back home early,” he said.

Business owner Andy, who resides in Yangon, said that the news on television was only government reporting.

He admitted that he was a bit concerned but was optimistic that the business environment will bounce back soon.

Meanwhile, project manager Johnson Liang, 58, said he felt safe, as things were peaceful, without any riots.

Daniel, 42, also said that he was going to work as usual.

“I don’t see a reason for me not to do so since everything is actually normal.

“If there happens to be a massive protest next week, I will not take part in it as my safety is my priority,” he said.

Pots and pans protest

Myanmar’s powerful military had taken control of the country in the coup and declared a state of emergency for a year, followed by the detention of political leaders – including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi – and other senior government officials, which it accuses of voting irregularities in the country’s election in November 2020.

Suu Kyi’s NLD party had won a landslide victory, trouncing the military party at the polls.

While there had not been any major protests against the coup so far, signs of public anger and plans to resist have begun to surface, especially online.

This has prompted the military to ban Facebook, the conduit to the internet for more than half the population.

Meanwhile, people of Myanmar have been banging pots and water bottles at night as a sign of protest.

“This shows that everyone is united and smart enough to not do anything rash,” said James.

“It was shocking to me in the beginning as I just got to my balcony and saw hundreds of people banging their pots and pans but it was actually a very nice sense of community togetherness, as they are showing support in their own way.

“There has been no looting and theft, crime rates remain low and I hope this will remain the same in the coming days as well.” – February 5, 2021.