The military coup in Myanmar two years ago may feel like a world away, but for thousands of people from the country’s diaspora in Australia, the reality of conflict and oppression remains close to home.
On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military ousted the country’s democratically elected government, arresting leader Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of her government.
As news of the armoured vehicles and black SUVs reaching Myanmar’s parliament permeated the international news cycle, WA medical student Rubi Ni Chin watched with despair.
“I remember when the coup happened as if it was yesterday … I was on my way to class,” she said.
“When I heard of the news, I was so shocked. The first person I called was my aunty. I tried to reach my aunty in Myanmar and I couldn’t call her.
“I called her about 100 times. I was worried for her, and her safety and her children.”
A stethoscope and a dream
Ms Ni Chin was raised in a rural area in the Chin state in the Asian country, and arrived in Australia as a child in 2006 as a refugee.
The University of Notre Dame student is undergoing her rural practice in Kalgoorlie, 600km east of Perth.
She hopes to go back to Myanmar and use her skills to help the vast number of people who have a lack of healthcare.
“I’ve wanted to become a doctor so I can play a very small part in ensuring young people and people of all ages have access to healthcare that they deserve as a human being,” she said.
The recent coup for her feels like “history repeating itself”.
“We live this trauma every day.”
More than one million seeking refuge
According to the United Nations, 982,000 people have been internally displaced as a result of violence against civilians and intensifying armed conflict in Myanmar since February 2021.
Those figures are mainly made up of women and children.
For Ms Ni Chin, these people are not just statistics — they are her cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents.
“It’s been two years since the military coup, but it’s been more than 700 days for us,” she said.
“My parents and myself, we listen to the radio every day, listening to the names of people being called if they have passed away or if they have been injured.”
The same UN report estimated a total of 1.35 million internally displaced people in Myanmar may need urgent protection and humanitarian assistance this year, with conflicts from before the coup also adding to the figures.
‘They live in darkness’
For Ms Ni Chin, it’s difficult to grapple with her family’s struggle.
“There’s not a day where we don’t think about the family back home and we keep in contact but some days it’s harder because they’ve been displaced,” she said.
“When you have to run for your life and there’s air raids almost every day, it’s a bit hard to keep in contact with family members to see if they’re safe or not. They live in darkness.”
Ms Ni Chin said people in Myanmar were cut off from adequate access to healthcare, education and safety.
“My niece, as the coup has been happening, said to her mum: ‘When night comes, I hate it when the night time comes’,” she said.
“They don’t feel safe to the point that they can’t even light a candle.
“They live in darkness because air raids are happening, shootings are happening every single night and this kind of barbaric trauma affects everyone but especially young people.”
A voice for change
There has been a groundswell of support from the diaspora community across Australia, raising humanitarian aid funds for people within Myanmar and tens of thousands of displaced people in bordering countries such as Thailand and Bangladesh.
Chan Mya Nyein, whose stage name is Chan Chan, is a Burmese pop star and model and former judge on Myanmar idol.
She has warrants out for her arrest for speaking out against the military coup, and is now based in Italy.
“People start to forget about us, that’s why I need to speak out,” she said.
“I will speak out for my country so people don’t forget about this situation.”
Ms Mya Nyein spent late January and early February on a national fundraising tour of Australia, with the Perth concert attracting a crowd of more than 600 people.
The Australian government has committed to providing $135 million in humanitarian aid funds to the cause and Myanmar nationals are being treated as a “priority” for resettlement, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
The ABC understands 500 offshore humanitarian visas and close to 200 permanent protection visas have been granted to Myanmar nationals between July 2022 and January this year.
The figures reflect a six-fold increase on the 33 permanent protection visas granted to people from Myanmar between 2021 and 2022 — 1,600 offshore humanitarian visas were also granted during that time.
More than a hundred rally in WA
Rally-goers gathered on the steps of WA Parliament on Saturday, marking more than two years since the Spring Revolution that emerged in response to the February coup.
They held a moment of silence for the civilians and democracy activists in Myanmar who had lost their lives.
An estimated 17,000 people have been arbitrarily arrested and almost 3,000 killed in the junta’s crackdown, including the execution of pro-democracy activists.
Organisers acknowledged the sanctions the Australian government put on the military junta’s leaders on February 1 this year.
But they said more needed to be done, including the official recognition of the National Unity Government — the democratic government in exile — as well as further sanctions, and more action to reduce the supply of jet fuel to the military.
‘This is our last battle’
Addressing the crowd, Curtin University Associate Professor Htwe Htwe Thein said significant steps had been made.
“We have seen our success with the Australian government in the position of sanctions,” she said.
“We have to push, otherwise they forget about you. Myanmar more so, compared to Ukraine. We don’t get much attention.”
Ms Thein is one of more than 39,000 people living in Australia who were born in Myanmar, according to figures from the ABS 2021 census.
More than a fifth of them live in WA, making the state home to the second-highest number of people born in Myanmar, behind Victoria.
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Ms Thein arrived in 1988, as a different military coup was happening in the country and is now an international business scholar.
She said people from Myanmar’s diaspora would fight for democracy, whether it be speaking out or fundraising, until there was no longer oppression by the military.
“This is our last battle,” she said.
“A lot of people within the diaspora fled the country because of these human rights violations.
“They don’t want these hardships to continue on to the next generation.”
Human Rights Watch Researcher Many Maung said it was likely alleged violations carried out by the military, including killings, torture and sexual violence, were higher than the current verified figures.
“We have little access to the country except for through our own avenues,” she said.
“The level and the spate at which these violations are happening, are crimes against humanity.”
Source : ABC News
