Yangon Journal: Tension and Investment
The following essay submission comes from Aiden Rivers, a pseudonym for someone who cannot reveal their identity for safety reasons.
“The military government is now reinforcing Yangon. Reports of the increased presence of troops inside Yangon and the surrounding townships are everywhere.”
There’s a lot going on in Yangon. New development projects and buildings are rising above the skyline. A swarm of so-called “International” schools are opening almost weekly all over the city. Road construction projects hum along at a steady pace. Shopping malls are full again, and people are even refilling the Myanmar Plaza mall that was once boycotted for its security arresting anyone displaying anti government sentiment on t-shirts. Also, while young war refugees who don’t speak Burmese flood into Yangon, they seem to outnumber the local youth as the rate of brain drain is skyrocketing. Students from well-off families are desperate to leave Myanmar, and families that can barely afford to send their kids away do so at great financial sacrifice.
The other day I walked past two soldiers in full gear standing in front of an office building and one guy smiled to me and I also smiled, I almost cracked up laughing because the look on his face must have matched mine, that the surprise encounter as I turned a corner was unavoidable. No way I was about to turn around although it crossed my mind. I can't imagine how they must feel, exposed, expecting something, the thoughts they might have while standing there in the middle of the street with almost no traffic, maybe getting bored, hoping nothing bad happens. Maybe a smile and a nod gave him a good feeling, maybe, I thought, he feel like he'd rather be home with his family than where he was. It was the human touch that mattered, I know he felt it. It's so amazing that the Myanmar culture of friendliness exists in the most unexpected ways.
One of the most questionable circumstances mentioned by an agent was regarding under legal aged children from twelve to fifteen years old leaving Myanmar. Under the guardianship of a supposed faith based scheme, a pastor comes to Myanmar and escorts the child back to America to attend a religious boarding school. It seems more like child trafficking scheme than a study abroad situation. But who knows? The children get coached on how to act and on what to say during their visa interview. The agent said this kind of migration is increasing, and I suppose it’s not surprising anymore that a child accompanied by a non-relative stranger who traveled to Myanmar to get the child can be issued a visa at a US embassy. Entire families are also leaving to escort their college aged child going to study in America or elsewhere. It’s common knowledge amongst those in the know that many of the family members apply for asylum or they just remain in America. One person who returned from a tour to America said of the twenty- seven people on the tour, five returned to Myanmar.
The military government is now reinforcing Yangon. Reports of the increased presence of troops inside Yangon and the surrounding townships are everywhere. Troop trucks are all over Yangon where they navigate the dense traffic by blaring their unique alarms that sound like reverberating electric farts. The fart trucks try to command attention from drivers who ignore them until they feel ready to move aside. That is actually the typical behavior of all drivers in Yangon. No one gives an inch, one has to take it. Not even ambulances with blaring sirens get much consideration. Inside the little dark army-green pickup trucks with troops huddled in the back below a canopy, the troops balance rifles out of the back and side gaps of the truck’s canopy. They do so either carelessly or they’re ready to repel an attack.
A few days ago a UN employee who is local, who lives near the airport, said the airport was filled with military trucks and for several days ambulances were steadily in and out of the airport. The assumption was they were flying in injured troops, most likely officers, and sending them to hospitals. He also said while in their UN office, they get repeated updates and alerts about where army troop presence is heavy. They were also told several times the military will close the airport next month. True or not, this report has added tons of weighted anxiety to people seeking to leave Myanmar and lots of people are scuttling plans to leave for the holiday for fear of being caught outside Myanmar. These reports are not random people talking. These are the words from the mouths of many people from different walks of life, from restaurants, taxi drivers, business people, engineers, university teachers, and more. Everyone is talking, and the people are frustrated and edgy while going about their lives.
The US embassy is said to be on a skeleton staff and indeed, the embassy seems deserted. The Consular section is holding visa interviews for only a few hours one day a week, with only one person interviewing. This has propelled thousands of people to seek visa interviews abroad.
