Myanmar earthquake: “I feel inward

Last time SOE KO NAING saw his big girl at home in July, on the banks of the Irrawaddy River.

Ko Naing, a Myanmar resistance junta, is about to flee the country. Ko Naing lives in Min Kun, a small town in Sagaing’s military stronghold, and he doesn’t trust anyone to tell them his plans – except his beloved OO OO (“Uncle” of Myanmar).

“I told him I was going to Thailand. He thought it was a good plan. He wanted me to be healthy and safe,” recalled Ko Naing, a 35-year-old labor rights activist.

For nearly a year, Ko Naing in Thailand is safe. But his OO OO was killed by a strong earthquake that attacked Sagan near Mandalay last Friday, claiming at least 2,000 lives.

“I have sleepless nights. I still suffer,” Ko Naing said.

“I have to regret because I have to do it. But I feel introverted because our people need us the most now. I feel helpless.”

Ko Naing is one of the millions of people among Burma diaspora as their country was struggling with the largest earthquake in a century.

Like him, many people have experienced the survivor’s inner guise and helplessness. For some, these feelings prevent them from going back easily to help rescue or inspect relatives because they will face political persecution.

Thailand has about 4.3 million Myanmar nationals in the world’s largest Myanmar diaspora community, although this number is considered much higher if undocumented immigrants are included.

As a wealthy neighbor, it has long attracted people from Burma, who make up the majority of the immigrant workforce. The 2021 military coup and the subsequent civil war only inflated their ranks.

Some work in the construction industry – many of the 400 workers in Bangkok skyscrapers are believed to be from Myanmar – while others come from Myanmar, while others work in the agriculture and seafood industries in Thailand.

A fishing port near Bangkok was home to many workers in Burma, a traditional Burmese Ranggi and women on cheeks filled the alleys of the morning market in a drizzle in Samut Sakhon on Monday morning.

Banner ad SIM cards have cheap prices to call Myanmar card cards with plastering between buildings, while shops show signs in both Thailand and Myanmar.

“We’ve seen videos of people trapped in buildings and people trapped under rubble online. We feel sad,” said Yin Yin, a 30-year-old factory worker.

Thant Zin, 28, from a small earthquake-resistant town in Saga, mourned the collapse of centuries-old pagodas and temples in his area. “What a disaster! I feel sad…we’ve never experienced this kind of damage before.”

Throughout the town, Ko Naing sat in his office and checked out the latest news about his family in Myanmar. At least 150 of his relatives live near Sagaing and Mandalay.

Friday’s earthquake was so huge that it could be felt in Thailand, India and China. That day, Ko Naing was lying on Sakhon’s bed, hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter, he said he felt the room shake for about 30 seconds.

He immediately went to social media and found that the earthquake was happening near Min Kun. He then encountered a photo of the Ava Bridge in Sagaing – a local landmark – located in the brutal ruins of the Irrawaddy River. “I was shocked and devastated, and there were a lot of relatives in that area. I thought, ‘must be fake news’. But it was true.”

With the immediate slow communication in Myanmar, Ko Naing only heard from relatives on Saturday. He was told that almost everyone was safe and explained, except for a distant aunt in Mandalay and his oooo.

A week ago, Minkun and his surroundings were bombarded by troops targeting the People’s Defense Forces’ resistance. Almost all families in the town fled to the military-controlled areas of Sagan City or Mandalay.

OO OO refused decamp and sheltered in village monastery because they knew the military would not attack Buddhist sites.

But on Friday, when the earthquake struck, the monastery completely collapsed. His body was found in rubble on Monday.

Ko Naing remembers Oo Oo is an open-minded, outspoken 60 year old. In a military-led area, the two men shared their support for the resistance movement, especially after the coup.

In the summer, the two will spend afternoons by the river, having lunch and catching up on the news. His universe has no phone calls and no social media, and KO Naing will help him check out the latest information about the Civil War. He joked, “I am his personal news agency.”

oooo oooo oo suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, and he had to retire. Still, every morning, he would wash his family’s tea shop and fry Ee Kyar Kwe or fried dough.

“He was my inspiration, especially during difficult times…he was the only person I could talk to. I got resilience from him,” Ko Naing said.

This resilience is something Ko Naing has to give when he escapes from Myanmar with his wife and five-year-old son. He was wanted by the military, and the army was arrested for participating in a peaceful protest.

His family headed to the border where they entered Thailand illegally. As they crossed the darkness at the dark Thai border police station, the family tripped over a large tube and fell to the ground. His son fell on his head. Ko Naing is worried about the worst.

But to his relief, his son cried loudly. Ko Naing patted his hand on the child’s mouth, picked him up, and rushed to the smuggler with a motorcycle. They first went to the small town of Mae Sot in Thailand and then eventually went to Samut Sakhon, where they gained the right to stay in Thailand.

Although he is safe now and does a good job, Ko Naing said: “To be honest, I’m very upset at the moment.

“First it was the pandemic, then the coup, and then the military kept killing those who opposed them. People were displaced.

“Then the earthquake adds to the pain. Even after the earthquake, the military will continue to bomb the area.

“I always thought it would be great if we could be there, if we could do something…it would be frustrating to live here and see news about our country.”

He is working with Myanmar diaspora to collect donations and provide humanitarian assistance to Quake victims. They are also helping Myanmar construction workers be affected by the collapse of the Bangkok building.

“If we are always frustrated, no one will help our people…we are still alive. We can still do something.

“We have to decide how to rebuild and how to keep moving forward.”