‘My heart is very painful’: Myanmar nationals in S’pore saddened, shocked by news of military coup

• Several Myanmar officials including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi were detained during a military coup on Feb 1
• Myanmar nationals living here said they were shocked and saddened by the news
• Many of them spent all day trying to get in touch with family back home
• Internet and phone services in the main cities of Naypyitaw and Yangon were disrupted throughout the day
• Supporters of Ms Suu Kyi were overcome with emotion by her detention

SINGAPORE — After learning of a military coup in Myanmar on Monday (Feb 1) morning, Singapore-based Myanmar national Nine Nine has been frantically trying to contact his family in Yangon to make sure they are safe.

With internet and phone services to the nation’s capital Naypyitaw and commercial centre Yangon disrupted throughout the day, the 27-year-old managed to get through to his father only between about 1pm and 4pm on Monday. He could not reach his father after that.

“I’ve tried to call him so many times that I’ve lost count,” Nine Nine said. The hospitality worker declined to give his full name.

Nine Nine and a number of other Myanmarese living in Singapore and who were interviewed by TODAY said that they were disturbed, shocked and saddened by the latest political developments in their country.

They either declined to have their full names published or spoke on condition of anonymity given the political sensitivities of the situation.

During an early-morning raid on Monday, President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been the country’s de facto leader, were detained, along with other leaders of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

The army said that it had carried out the detentions in response to election fraud in November, when NLD won in a landslide victory.

With the detentions, military chief Min Aung Hlaing has been installed as leader and a one-year state of emergency has been declared.

Other Myanmar nationals in Singapore told TODAY that they had also spent most of Monday trying to get in touch with their family members to check on their well-being, but were often thwarted by technical issues.

A 27-year-old consultant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had tried to get in contact with her family members back home since she woke up to the news this morning. She was finally able to reach them at 1pm.

“The lack of information in the morning was nerve-racking,” she said. “I’d like to believe no one is in serious harm or danger, but not being able to reach loved ones definitely made me feel anxious,”

She added that watching the developments unfold from afar has also made families here feel helpless.

Another Myanmarese, Ms Ida, said that when her family finally returned her phone call shortly before TODAY spoke to her at around 4.15pm, the intermittent connection meant that their conversations had to be rushed.

“They were worried about me… but I told them not to worry about me (because I’m not there). I’m worried about them,” the 57-year-old said. Ms Ida, a convenience store worker, has lived in Singapore for 32 years.

SUPPORTERS OF SUU KYI ANGRY OVER COUP

Supporters of Ms Suu Kyi told TODAY that they felt devastated when they heard the news of her detention.

Nine Nine, who was overcome with emotion while speaking about Ms Suu Kyi, said: “I’m so sad... Aung San Suu Kyi is very good… she did not do anything wrong. I want to know the reason why (they detained her).”

Ms Ida, who has been overcome with sadness since she learned of Ms Suu Kyi’s detention, said: “My heart is very painful.”

A 33-year-old Myanmarese, who wanted to be known only as Mr Khin, said that his family and him are concerned about the safety of Ms Suu Kyi and the other senior officials who have been detained by the newly installed military government.

“Their baseless allegations of voter fraud and openly calling the result of the election dishonest and unfair is just disrespecting the voters,” Mr Khin said. He voted for NLD because he trusted that Ms Suu Kyi and her party were the best people to run the country.

Ms Suu Kyi is most known for bringing democratic reform to Myanmar. However, her decision to defend her country’s brutal persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority has left her with a mixed legacy.

Still, the latest political developments in Myanmar have created a cloud of sadness and confusion among Myanmar's people living here.

A restaurant employee here who wanted to be known only as Mr Win said that there was a distinctly sombre mood among the mainly Myanmarese customers who patronised his restaurant in Peninsula Plaza on Monday.

He believes that the immediate impact of the news is that fewer people want to leave their homes — he saw only 20 customers at the eatery Monday, a significant drop from his usual crowd.

Only one Myanmar national among those interviewed by TODAY believed that the situation in the country will improve in the coming days.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said: “We are not just hopeful, we believe it will be all right in a few days… We just have to trust in the law.”