A Double Crisis in Myanmar
Real Stories Not Tales is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring more awareness to the reality of young people's lives since the Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st, 2021. Stories are collecting through interviews with each protagonist, whenever they are, presently, in Myanmar. AT is a Mon activist. She was interviewed on March 27th. Doris Tsawm is a researcher in the field of human rights, peace, and economic development. She was interviewed on May 5th.
“We really need humanitarian aid in Myanmar. Even ordinary people are struggling now.”
"Even though there had been some speculation in the media about a coup happening, I didn't really believe it. The night before both power and internet cut out in the area where I was staying, but it still didn't occur to me that a military takeover was about to take place. So I was really shocked when I heard the news the following morning! I have never experienced a coup myself, but given the Myanmar military's record of human rights violations, I immediately realized that the situation was about to get worse, and I became very sad.
At the time of the coup, I was living in Myitkyina and planning to travel to Yangon to meet my work supervisor. But I knew that wouldn't be possible anymore, so I moved to my grandmother's house to stay with my family. In the weeks following the coup, none of us felt like talking much; we couldn't even eat or sleep properly. We were all scared. I wasn't able to concentrate on my work; actually, I wasn't able to do anything. I would spend all day every day checking for updates on Facebook.
Before the coup, when we were only fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, I felt like it was okay, since it was a global problem. But now, I am so disappointed and angry. We have to deal with a 'double crisis' in Myanmar—it’s not fair. The country's economy is in ruins, and so many young people’s education has been postponed indefinitely. Everything is so uncertain now. I worry about the future of my younger cousins, nieces, and nephews. I have lost hope of achieving my personal goals too, but luckily, I can still continue working remotely for my organization in Yangon.
In Myitkyina, there have been protests and the CDM since the beginning and they are still going, but most older people don't participate anymore, only the youth are left. That’s why young people are being targeted. Just the other day, 10 were arrested while organizing themselves at a market. By now, there are over 100 young people in jail here, including journalists and humanitarian workers. In addition, the KIA and the military are still fighting, so many vulnerable groups in the region need help: women, government teachers participating in the CDM, IDPs, etc.
I have been helping to channel money coming from donors abroad to local women's organizations. Otherwise, I don't go out much, only when I really have to. The gate that I need to pass to get downtown or to the market has very thorough security checks now and the military basically arrest anybody they want. I always hide sensitive photos on my phone and make sure they will not find anything suspicious.
During these difficult times, I don't get any specific psychological support, but just the fact that I am with my family and we are facing the situation together helps a lot. It would have been much more challenging for me to do this alone. For a long time, I have been away from home, living and working in many different places in Myanmar and abroad, never having the opportunity to spend months like this with them, so I'm enjoying it. As a Christian, praying and night worships also help me, as well as talking to my friends.
We really need humanitarian aid in Myanmar. Even ordinary people are struggling now. Collecting money inside the country is only a short-term solution, but definitely not sufficient in the long term. I also don’t think this is the right time to discuss development, but instead, to advocate for humanitarian aid to support the vulnerable people across the country."