Myanmar: The Coup Takes Over Again Interview By Emma Shen
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n the evening of Thursday April 22, 2021, I had the opportunity to speak with Asian Outlook alumnus Haythi Ei and her mother Mrs. Ei. Mrs. Ei briefly was a researcher on Burma focusing on training woman on sexual violence and recording data on the sexual violence against ethnic woman and the poor in Myanmar’s marginalized communities and rural areas. This directly conflicts against the military government. As of February 1, 2021, the military junta took over Myanmar, which resulted in everyone fleeing the organization and destroying documents. More importantly, more than 800 lives have been taken since the coup occurred (reported by Reuters). The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. An original version of the transcript is linked here: https://snuffalaughagus.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/myanmar-the-coup-takes-over-again/
ES: When you guys refer to your home country, is it Burma or Myanmar? ME: So, Burma is a country name given by the British that was colonized in 1824. Before that, we called it something like a “Kingdom,” like feudalism. Actually, we have so many ethnic people. One of the ethnic groups is called Burma. So it seems like it represents the whole country, but the name Burma doesn’t represent all the other diverse ethnic groups. So in the military coup of 1988, they changed the country from Burma to Myanmar. The reason they would like to tell the world is that there are so many diverse ethnic groups in the country. While the intention is good, it is bad because the junta, like today, did it forcefully. So the people of Burma don’t want to take this name. The United States also doesn’t want to recognize the name given by the military junta; that’s why they still keep saying Burma. And for the people in Burma now, after 30 years, they’re used to saying Myanmar. But for the opposition they don’t want to use the name Myanmar because it’s given by the military without any consent of the people. HE: So using the name Burma means you’re denouncing the military. That’s why former President Obama used Burma instead of Myanmar. It has a big connotation. But personally, I say Burma because it’s just easier for people to pronounce. ME: Actually, the military changed all of the country’s street names because they were given by the British. This is like saying, “after colonization, we have to change everything. We are now independent.” The military is very nationalist because they use the nationalist card to get support from the people.
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HE: To hide their oppression, to hide their misdoings and human rights violations under the guise of nationalism. ME: That’s what true authoritarians always do. ES: How are you feeling right now with everything going on in Burma? ME: There’s a lot of mixed feelings: upset, sad, depression. Every day not only are they trying to control innocent people on the street but people are also not safe at night; the military can knock it out and can take whatever they like. They also rob people of all their properties like phones. It really is lawlessness because if they have a gun, they get to do whatever they like. This is an authoritarian dictatorship. They always use that kind of method and tactic. HE: The Internet is being cut off and they [the government] have been arresting famous authors, writers, activists and actors/actresses who have openly protested or resisted the government. Not only do they do that, they also have been detaining parents or family members [if they don’t find the person they want to arrest.] And so people have to run away and the families have to go into hiding. Right now a lot of people are going to the jungle and running away to Thailand. The whole situation is really disheartening and horrible. We feel the effects of it every day here. Seeing what they’re doing to our people while not being really able to do anything but feel lucky for being here [in America with my family]. ES: It seems like a lot of governments are taking advantage of the vulnerable situations that COVID-19 puts countries in --like in Senegal and Haiti-- to
