Myanmar: “Oh yeah, everything is fine”

Burmese news blog MoeMaKa Media reported on this video footage of Singapore's Straits Times interviewing some Myanmar citizens and others traveling between Yangon and Singapore.

The video footage shows a Myanmar citizen welcoming his family's arrival in Singapore and proclaiming their happiness at being in a stable Singapore, and then shows another Myanmar national exclaiming that even though there are curfews set, they were doing OK and things weren't that bad. “Overall quite ok lah,” claimed one man. “Oh, yeah, everything is fine… The airport, the security and erm, things are functioning fine.. all normal,” said one man who appears to be an airline pilot (not a Myanmar national).

Interview in Singapore Reporter in Singapore airport

After the above comments, you can see the Straits Times reporter saying “talking to some people who were just in Yangon a few hours ago, it seems like the situation is not as bad as what we see on media reports. Other than a curfew, people were free to move around and it was business as usual at the airport.”

Then the Myanmar nationals leaving for Yangon are interviewed. Both women interviewed seem to think that things are not so serious and that they were going to be in safe areas. “Situation is not quite too bad lah.” said one young Myanmar woman.

The reporter then asks: “What are you expecting to see when you get out of the airport?” The young woman then replies: “I think everything is going to be OK.”

MoeMaKa Media has reported this reaction to the video:

“All over the world, Myanmar nationals and others have been showing support for the peaceful protests in Myanmar and the military junta's violent reactions towards it. (Such as the protests in front of Myanmar embassy in Thailand)

Myanmar nationals living in Singapore also showed solidarity and support for those back home by holding prayer sessions at the Burmese monasteries here. However, while everyone is worried about the situation in Burma, the above video from The Straits Times show Myanmar nationals happily stating that they are happy to be in Singapore and how things are “not so bad” back there besides the curfews and how everything seems to be calm, while smiling at the cameras.”

MoeMaKa reports that a Myanmar blogger situated in Singapore sent him photos comparing the real situation in Myanmar and the Myanmar nationals arriving from Yangon and going back to Yangon making light of the situation.

MoeMaKa states that that blogger also posed the question of how Myanmar Nationals living here in Singapore are going to protect and upkeep the nationalism, language (culture) and religion of Myanmar and that it was high time for Myanmar nationals living in Singapore to answer this question in a clear manner.

(I think that the blogger is trying to say that Myanmar nationals all need to unite in solidarity and be clear on the kind of statements they want to make to the world at this difficult time)

14 comments

  • Ken

    It is good to know going to visit Myanmar is save. But curfew everyday at 5 or 6 pm doesn’t tell you that something is wrong. “I think it is going to be okay lah” is a selffish response because you are there for vacation. Try living and working in Myanmar right now, where you can’t make enough to even put 3 full meal on the dinner table and having your cell phone and internet access cut off. Not knowing about your friends and relatives lives.

  • May

    Burmese are very peaceful citizens but hotblooded at occasions. Easy to forgive and forget. They need to know how to be persistent otherwise forget about democracy.

  • NY Chan

    When one interviews only those who can make it out of the country safely (read: can hold a passport with valid visa have money to get a visa and pay the tickets, ), or those who intend to return to Burma, one can of course reach that conclusion.

    Strait Times, Look at APF (the Japan news agency for which Mr Kenji Nagai worked for). Send a journalist to your neighbour Burma. Try interview someone in poor neigbourhoods or prisons.

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