Singaporeans in Myanmar say situation appears 'calm' a day after military coup
03 February, 2021
A day after the armed service seized power in Myanmar, Singaporeans living there said there the problem is apparently "calm" despite disruptions to work.
Phone lines and mobile data services that were shut down have already been restored, they said. The long queues of folks trying to withdraw funds at ATM machines also have abated.
Mr Raymond Phee, who owns a logistics firm and lives in Yangon, said he drove around to check the situation a day after the army seized vitality in a coup on Monday.
"I made a good round from the port to the warehouse to the supermarket to the banks. There was nothing (happening). It had been quite definitely normal," he said.
“The banks are open, the customs are open, the ports are open," said Mr Phee who has lived in the united states for 25 years.
In the same way, Mr Joshua Tan, chief administrative officer in a rice-producing firm said that everything in Naypyidaw was "calm".
"But we are very concerned that it is too calm, it's not normal," he said.
"It feels as though the calm before a storm."
There, however, continued to be some disruption to lifestyle.
Mr Tan said that the other day, the army began to set up non permanent checks along the borders of Naypyidaw. All vehicles getting into the administrative centre city are checked and some are switched away, he said.
"My staff arriving at work happen to be body searched," he explained, adding that his office will end up being closed for just one more day "in the event something goes south".
"We are appearing careful, just waiting, telling staff to avoid going to places where there can be riots," he said.
Likewise, Mr Kenneth Lim, a developer, said that his enterprise businesses will be closed for a couple days to “see what happens”.
He added a recently drawn-up organization approach has been scrapped, given the transformation in the climate found in the country.
"Banking hours are reduced; government offices, can't find persons there," he said.
“Life is not about waking up and likely to work, but what exactly are you going to do at the job."
Mr Phee however has tightened security at his warehouse for the week.
The men have also generally stayed indoors.
BEING PREPARED
Various Myanmar nationals scrambled to stock up on important items once news of the coup broke. Alongside them was Mr Tan. At the very top on his set of items was water.
"The (tap) water here's not drinkable, so I delivered a lorry and a truck to fill up on normal water," he said.
"Usually, we phone and the normal water truck would arrive, but the phone lines were down," he said.
While he and his colleagues had rice by the bucket load, he stocked through to other lasting items such as for example biscuits, rice puffs and instant noodles.
He also sent a single week's worth of meals to his workers.
Mr Lim similarly found himself in an exceedingly crowded supermarket buying items such as for example rice and instant noodles.
"You just have to be more prepared," he said.
CONCERNS ABOUT THE NEAR FUTURE
Those that spoke to CNA said that while things seem quiet at the moment, these were concerned and cautious about what is to come.
Mr Lim said: "You're afraid of live demonstrations on the road. Up to now, I haven't seen protesters, but I'm very concerned."
"There's absolutely nothing that you can do - simply keep yourself busy rather than being stressed."
Despite the feel of normalcy, things can take a turn anytime, Mr Phee added.
“There’s just a large amount of uncertainty regarding what’s happening and what’s likely to happen,” said 17-year-classic student Ethan Swee.
The international school he studies at was transitioning to physical classes, after offering only classes on the web due to COVID-19, but which has come to a halt, he said.
While Internet companies have allowed him to stay connected to all of those other world, he fears that they might be cut off anytime.
“The situation appears really volatile, so I do not know what to expect soon after today, let alone tomorrow,” he said.
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