MYANMAR

In Our Midst
A Final-Year Photojournalism project From The
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information,
Nanyang Technological University By Wallace Woon
 2 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

B oth once-proud ports of the British Empire,

Singapore and Myanmar have had much less
in common with their recent history. The former
straits settlement is known today for its dynamic
transformation into a vibrant economic hub and
the latter for its military oppression and abject
poverty. The nationwide demonstrations of the 8888
Uprising, following the violent and bloody crackdown
of student protests, saw many uproot their lives
for safer and sunnier shores in Singapore. Now, as
was then, foreign labour pours in from around the
Ayeryawaddy delta to the island state in search of
better financial prospects. Recent times have seen
generals shedding their army fatigues for civilian
longyis. Businesses and tourists have already begun to
flock towards the country. With Myanmar looking to
catch up with its prospering neighbours, what then
lies ahead for a generation of Burmese who have lived
and grown up away from home in relative sanctuary?

COVER PHOTO: Marginalised in

their country, Burmese Muslims
and Rohingya coming from wealthy
backgrounds have been able to
escape persercution by emigrating
around the region. Their less well-off
compatriots have had to languish
as internally-displaced refugees.
 3

04 Myanmar:
Then & Now
Who Are
They? 12
30
Speaking With
Confidence
Away
Together 36
44
Away
On Duty
Burmese
Singaporean 52
54
Keeping The
Home Abroad

62
For Family
For the Future
4 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

Myanmar:
Then & Now
 5

Men playing a leisurely game of chin lone in front of the

Shwedagon Pagoda in Dagon Township, Yangon. Their
traditional longyis are folded up and tucked into the
waist for added agility. The competitive version of chin
lone is known as Sepak Takraw and involves two teams
volleying the rattan ball over a net.
6 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

M yanmar’s current state of affairs and its stagnated development

conceal what is in fact a long-stretched and illustrious history.
The prehistory of the country extends as far back as the Bronze and
Iron Age and the region is thought to be a confluence of human
migration from the greater Asian continent towards Southeast Asia
and further on to Australia.
For almost a millennium, Myanmar lived under the rule of kings,
who unified the country and set policies that would remain integral to
Burmese society even till today. At its height, the empire covered modern
day Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
British rule came in the late 19th century and saw wide spread
discontent amongst the local populace from the implementation
of unpopular legislature. Subsumed into British India, the influx of
Indians into the ranks of the government administration and the cruelty
experienced by farmers at the hands of chettiars, Indian moneylenders
would culminate in violent riots lasting into the 1930s. The country’s rich
resources in teak and rice production meant that while the British had
found a rich hinterland in Myanmar, the people were kept out of the loop
of economic prosperity.
Four years ago, a Danish documentary, consisting of footage from
the Saffron Revolution of 2007, opened the eyes of the world to the streets
of Yangon and the plight of the Burmese people. In the sea of thousands
who had taken to the streets with monks, one image stood out, held above
LEFT: The ruins that dot the
landscape of Ayutthaya, the
ancient Thai capital, are a
testament to the aggressive
expansionist policies of
the Konbaung dynasty.
Myanmar’s third and final
era of monarchy possessed
such military might that they
were able to engage the
armies of the British Empire.
 7

ABOVE: The Mon State

in Southeastern Myanmar
is home to Mount Kyaitiyo
or “Golden Rock”, one of
the three holy monuments
every Burmese Buddhist is
expected to visit once in their
lifetime. An ancient rival of
the original Bamar Empire
in Pagan, the Mon Empire
eventually succumbed to the
rule of Burmese kings.
 8 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

the heads of many - the photograph of General Aung San.

ABOVE: The country’s rich
resources have long been a
double-edged sword for the
people of Myanmar. Gold
mining along the Ayeryarwaddy
river, jade extraction and teak
harvesting are examples of
the exploitation of raw materials
over the years by those in power .
Widely considered to be the father of modern-day Myanmar,
Aung San played a major, if not the most important role, in establishing
independence from the British. Trying twice, once with the Japanese
during World War Two, he succeeded in pulling Myanmar out of the
British Empire but was fatefully assassinated before seeing his life’s work
culminate on the 4th of August 1948.
The Union of Burma would experience several multi-party elections
and see the country reunified under the Panglong Agreement, as the
regions of Lower Burma, Upper Burma and the Frontier Regions were
separately ruled under British administration. It would also provide the
United Nations its third secretary-general in U Thant, who held the seat
for ten years.
The upward movement of the country led many to believe that it was
on the fast track to development. A year after U Thant’s appointment to
the top post in the UN, the government was overthrown by a military
coup d’état led by General Ne Win. Instituting a culture of fear and
doing away with the multi-party republic, business opportunities were
repressed through the nationalization of private commercial enterprises,
in particular those which were owned by foreign individuals. Single party
socialist rule under a series of ex-military leaders saw a swift transition of
the nation’s prospects, forcing Myanmar into a downward spiral to be one
of the world’s most impoverished countries. Stricken by abject poverty,

RIGHT: The Bogyoke

(General) Aung San Market
is located along Yangon
City’s main thoroughfare,
Bogyoke Road. Running in
a West-East direction, some
of the country’s top schools,
the famous Trader’s Hotel
and the Yangon General
Hospital, lie along the road.
 9

corruption and daily hardship, mass riots would pepper the 1970s, most,
if not all, meeting the same ruthless suppression from the authorities.
Under Ne Win’s rule, the country experienced policies that were
implemented on the advice of fortune tellers, which resulted in quirks
such as the production of 45 and 90-kyat banknotes as legal tender. The
systematic demonetization of existing 50 and 100 kyat notes meant that a
vast majority of the Burmese people had their savings evaporate into thin

LEFT: Less than two and a half

kilometers away from the city center
of Yangon, slums line the disused
sections of the city’s train track.
With education too expensive an
option for a large portion of the
working class, street children
can be seen spending their days
unattended by their parents.

air overnight. In 1987, the United Nations awarded Myanmar with the
dishonorable title of Least Developed Country.
The country would rise up a year later, following the brutal police
clamp downs on student protests which saw more than a hundred
students and civilians killed, in what is today known as the 8888 Uprising
– the date of 8th August 1988 considered auspicious by the Burmese.
Violence, anarchy and subsequently, martial law, swept the country, with
thousands perishing in confrontations with the police and military.
Dropping its colonial namesake Burma in 1989, the country adopted the
name Myanmar and continued the process of economic reform started by the
old regime. The landslide result won by the National League for Democracy
(NLD), led by the iconic Aung San Suu Kyi, during the multi-party elections
in 1990 was nullified by the military regime and many of the NLD’s members
were thrown into prison. Suu Kyi herself was put under house arrest and
10 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

would remain isolated in her own country just as Myanmar was to the world.
In response to a withdrawal of fuel subsidies, protests led by monks would
sweep the country again in 2007. The all too familiar ending of government
subjugation would replay itself and resulted in the much publicised and
criticised murder of Japanese photographer Kenji Nagai, as well as the
systematic round up and torture of the monks and protestors involved.
A series of changes, denounced by international observers to be
merely skin-deep, were undertaken but the first real breakthrough on the
international scene was to happen in 2010 when Aung San Suu Kyi was
finally released from house arrest and when the military government finally
made way for a civilian regime, albeit one formed of ex-generals.
President Barack Obama would become the first ever American head-
of-state to step on Burmese soil during his visit in 2012.
Finally allowed to participate in by-elections last April, the NLD won
41 out of the 44 seats on offer. Suu Kyi was, herself, elected to the House
of Representatives in Burmese parliament. Policy reforms tackling the
widespread corruption and the instability of the currency were implemented
and restrictions prohibiting foreign enterprise in the country were lifted. The
release of political prisoners was another step by the civilian government to
make amends with the population.
Businesses and tourists have already begun to flock towards the country.
With Myanmar looking to catch up with its prospering neighbours, the
world waits with “cautious optimism” as the country seeks to shed its
grisly and inglorious past.
 11

ABOVE: Another of
Myanmar’s holy sites,
the Shwedagon Pagoda
is far from being just
a mere tourist sight.
The compounds of the
temple were a staging
ground for the monk-led
Saffron Protests of 2007.
12 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
 13

The Burmese have been in Singapore as far back as the 1960s.

They range from white-collar professionals, service staff and blue-
collar labourers. Their assimilation into Singaporean society has
been done in a manner most seamless, the same for which can
not be said of other foreign immigrants, begging the question:

Who AreThey?
14 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

First Footsteps
S
ome of the first Burmese to settle on Singapore soil during the
1960s and 1970s were doctors and lawyers. Their search for greater
economic and political freedom is something that still persists till
today and has expanded beyond those who come from the upper classes.
The following two decades – particularly after the violent
demonstrations in 1988 – saw an increased number of Burmese make
the decision to migrate to Singapore amongst other destinations, such
as the United States. The biggest community of Burmese living outside
of Myanmar today resides in neighboring Thailand numbering nearly
two million. Around half a million Burmese work in Malaysia and there
are sizable numbers in Japan, Pakistan (where about 200,000 Rohingya
Muslims have taken refuge), as well as countries in the European Union.
A Straits Times article dated 24th of September 1988, estimated that
around 400 families, or 2000 people, were living here at the time. The
article reported the reaction of the Burmese community in Singapore
to the 8888 Uprising and the brutal government crackdown. Official
reports in 2008 put the Burmese population in Singapore at 80,000
but individuals in the community claim that the numbers range from
150,000 to 200,000. These numbers include those holding tourist visas,
the various employment and social visit passes, permanent residents
and those who have since converted their citizenship.
The influx, which saw a near hundred-fold increment of the
population over twenty years, occurred during the 1990s and consisted
mostly of technically skilled workers, such as engineers and electricians,
in addition to the many students who came to pursue their studies. Due
to the academic focus on the sciences in Myanmar, the public perception
that science degrees had better job prospects and the lack of Singaporean
manpower to fill up “dirty jobs” such as ship repair, many Burmese with
 15

ABOVE: A visit from his sister

and her family, brings a smile
to construction worker Htu
Htu Zaw (right in blue jersey).
The 30-year old has spent five
years working in Singapore
but plans to return to Myanmar
to set up his own business.
 16 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ABOVE: The riverside town

of Kyaukmyaung serves as
a connection to the town
of Shwebo in northern
Myanmar. A stopover for
ferries and cargo barges,
the flurry of human activity
at the port leaves the river
banks strewn with rubbish.
 17

engineering backgrounds were able to find employment during that period.

The 8888 Uprising is often seen as a push factor in causing the Burmese
exodus from Myanmar. However, according to senior research fellow at the
Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS), Dr. Tin Maung Maung Than,
66, the changes which occurred, following those events, saw the government
transition from socialist practices to a democracy. As such, the relaxation of
travel restrictions imposed on the population allowed those who could afford
the visa and flight expenses a way out of the country.
Dr. Tin himself came to Singapore in 1984 after leaving his job of eleven
years at Yangon University. His appointment at ISEAS came during a chance
encounter when a friend informed him that the institute was looking for an
expert on Myanmar to join the research ranks. Thirty years on, despite having
spent half of his life growing up in Myanmar and having a keen personal
interest in the political and socio-economic changes happening in the country,
he feels more comfortable calling Singapore home.

ABOVE: Married to a Singaporean, Dr Tin Maung

Maung Than has maintained his keen personal
interest and academic focus on Myanmar.
 18 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ABOVE: Enclosed within

the mall are many food
stalls and provision shops
creating a world different
from the outside, allowing
Burmese immigrants some
respite from the foreign
environment of Singapore.

RIGHT: Having spent stretches of his life

growing up and studying in Singapore
and Canada, Thet Naing still feels rooted
to his country of birth most. Always
ready to give back to the community
and help his fellow countrymen, he
often spends his weekends sorting
out matters at the self-improvement
enterprise he co-founded , PyinNyar.
 19

The Community Center

A
sk a taxi driver to take you to Peninsula Plaza and chances
are he will ask whether you are Burmese. However, unlike
other well-established institutions such as Lucky Plaza for the
Filipinos or Golden Mile Complex for the Thais, Peninsula Plaza does
not attract every Burmese individual living in Singapore.
“Its where all the construction workers and maids go,” says 33-year-
old Vanessa Khine. The mother of two daughters says she rarely ever
goes there due to the fact that there is simply “no need” for her to. “My
family is all in Singapore, and both my daughters are Singaporean,” she
adds.
Coupled with the fact that her husband, who travels between
Myanmar and Singapore regularly, does not demand for Burmese
food at home, Vanessa finds no need for her to purchase and stock her
household with Burmese food items.
Peninsula Plaza has only in recent times caught on as a meeting
place for the Burmese populace in Singapore. According to Madam
Aye Thein, 42, the first of the existing Burmese shops opened only ABOVE: The ubiquitous brown-
red stains of betel leaf are hard
a decade ago, and the main bulk of the Burmese businesses moved to miss in the vicinity of the
into the retail areas on the bottom five floors of the shopping centre shopping center. Extremely
addictive, the after meal tidbit
about four to five years ago. is highly sought after by the
Burmese crowd who frequent
Up until recently, the lack of secure telecommunications, freight Peninsula Plaza.
and shipping services and government banking operations to and
from Myanmar, gave rise to a unique business model. A quintessential
need for any migrant community is the ability to be able to send
funds in order to support their families back home, as well as being
able to send consumer items and electrical appliances that cannot be
found in Myanmar.
Operating on levels of trust that most people are unfamiliar
with, an individual in Singapore would pass a “money courier” hard
currency. The courier would then, on arrival in Yangon, change the
money into Burmese Kyats and pass it on to the intended recipient.
This, while risky, filled a gaping hole in the market, and provided
the Burmese in Singapore a way of establishing cash flow with their
families back home.
The Malay word tompang, is one familiar with Singaporeans. Used
regularly to indicate one’s intention for a favour or simply a lift home, it
is the way in which the Burmese have been able to send parcel and items
back to their relatives in Myanmar. Students returning home would
 20 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
RIGHT: Selling everything from
produce to newspapers, the
provision shops of Peninsula
Plaza provide nourishment to
the Burmese populace, both
in body and mind.
ABOVE: An airport trolley
stacked high belies the fact
that Win Naing Oo (left in the
leather jacket), 38, is only
visiting home for two weeks.
Exceeding the weight limit
of his check-in baggage,
he later had to pass a
portion of his luggage to
another passenger.
normally advertise on a community forum or notice board how much
unused baggage weight they had and then wait as the requests poured
in for gifts to be brought back to Myanmar. The alternative approach
involves making a trip to Changi Airport and personally asking those in
the check-in queue of a Yangon-bound flight, whether they have available
space in their luggage available for “hire”.
Peninsula Plaza is often used as a central meeting place for Burmese
labourers and domestic workers living across the island. It allows the
homesick to get a quick fix of Burmese food, buy clothes for the Burmese
New Year, send their hard-earned savings back to their families at home
or meet up with friends on their days off.
Other than the F&B outlets, the retail boutiques and the travel agent
counters, the Myanmar Club, an unofficial organization for Burmese in
Singapore, is situated on the premises on the 33rd floor of the building in
the tower section. The main aim of the body is to “promote the welfare,
education and advancement of all Myanmar nationals and former
nationals or residents who are now resident or are visitors to Singapore.”
The general distrust of authority by many Burmese, from years of living
under the rule of an oppressive government, means that the Myanmar
Club often has to fulfil the role of an embassy, albeit without the official
jurisdiction to function as a foreign ministry.
Other similar clubs exist as well. With many Burmese coming to the
country in order to pursue a higher standard of education, there are sizeable
populations of Burmese nationals, as well as Singaporeans of Burmese
descent. It then follows that student bodies such as the SMU Myanmar
Community exist in Singaporean varsities and likewise in the polytechnics.
 21

ABOVE: Years of isolation and

government oppression have
done nothing to stifle the musical
creativity of the Burmese. From
ballads to headbangers, there
are choices suited for both
young and old.

LEFT: A meeting point for the

Rakhine community, Ni Ni Long’s
shop sells basic Burmese dishes
and trades in other provisions as
well. The 48-year old has spent
22 years in Singapore and is a
go-to person for those needing
assistance.
22 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

BELOW: Just across the Pan-Island

Expressway from Toa Payoh, one of
Singapore’s oldest housing estates, lies
the Burmese Buddhist Temple. The temple
functions as a religious meeting ground for the
local Burmese community.
BOTTOM RIGHT: A small but close knit
community, Karen Baptists make up one of
the largest Christian Burmese communities
in Singapore.

Tucked away behind the stretch of

late night eateries which line Balestier
Road, the gold-gilded edge of a pagoda
and spire rises up from behind the shop
houses. This, as the brown heritage sign
along the main road indicates, is the
Burmese Buddhist Temple. Its utilitarian
name aside, the temple plays the role
of a religious centre for the Burmese
Buddhists in Singapore and is a meeting
point for the community just as Peninsula
Plaza, which functions as the retail,
commercial and financial nucleus, is.
With 89% of the population in Myanmar
being practicing Buddhists, it seems only
natural for the temple to be so closely
situated to Singapore’s city centre, similar
in the way Shwedagon Pagoda in Dagon
Township lies just beyond the urban hub
of Yangon City.
Churches in Singapore have long
held services in multiple languages. For
the older Chinese in the congregation,
Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew services
have given them a way to connect to their
religion. The sizeable Filipino community
means that churches, in particular Roman
Catholic parishes, find holding a Tagalog
 23

LEFT: Lanterns hung around the interior of

Burmese Buddhist Temple in accordance
with the local celebration of the Lunar New
Year. Mirroring the grandeur of the gold-plated
Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar, no effort is
spared in glorifying the image of the Buddha.
BELOW: Nestled in modern and high-tech
Singapore, the Karen Community celebrated
its 2752nd New Year at the Jurong Stadium.
service a viable option. With the influx
of Burmese, there has been a rise in the
number of churches who opt for services
conducted in Myanmar in order to reach
out to this group of immigrants.
Many of those who come from
the minority races, such as Karen and
Kachin, follow the Christian religion
much like their kin back home. While
there are churches that conduct services
in the Burmese language, other churches
such as the Kim Tian Baptist Church
attract a more specific crowd in the
Karen. Conducted every Sunday at 2pm,
Reverend Doh Say leads his congregation
in the Karen language and attracts an
almost exclusively Karen audience.
 24 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
To Stay Burmese Or Live Singaporean
ABOVE: The dance might
hark back to traditional roots,
but the dancers come from a
more recent era. While these
youth might still understand
their ethnic Karen culture and
language, it is one their parents
fear might disappear once they
are gone.
F
or many years, the Burmese exodus has been driven by the state
of the country’s political and economic affairs. Singapore’s status
as a first world country, and her relative proximity as compared
to western nations, means that it has long been a country of choice
for Burmese looking to emigrate. Recent developments in Myanmar,
starting with the release of international figure Aung San Suu Kyi
from house arrest and her participation in last April’s democratic by-
elections means that there is now a reason for Burmese living outside
the country to return home.
Some like Mr. Thet Naing Soe, 29, commute regularly between
Singapore and Myanmar to visit family, in Thet Naing’s case, his
parents. Thet Naing spent stretches of time studying in Singapore and
Canada before settling back here to run a skills training enterprise. The
company, PyinNyar, offers new immigrants the chance to take classes
in English and learn IT skills in order to improve their employability.
These classes are conducted by volunteers and are offered for free to
students after an initial registration fee of $20.
The liberalization of the Burmese economy and the onset of
globalization after nearly half a century of isolation mean that Burmese
who possess keen business acumen, and contacts on the ground are
now better placed to flex their entrepreneurial muscle back on home
turf. Mr. Soe Myat, 53, is one of many who have since gone back to
Myanmar for business reasons. Starting an F&B production line, he

LEFT: A refreshing end to
a tiring day, Pyi Tha orders
sugarcane juice from a
hawker centre near his
place. It is inevitable that,
after two decades of living
in Singapore, one acquires
the tastes of the locals.
25
ABOVE: No rest for the weary,
even as a patient munches on
biscuits after hours. Pyi Tha
Tun’s career spans 36 years
meaning he is often the de-
facto supervisor for each shift
of nurses whom he works with.
 26 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
ABOVE: Using a methodical
approach and reasoning
with logic, Thihan helps
students tackle questions
they might face in the
examinations. For his
country, however, he hopes
that both the rulers and
the Burmese people can
solve their issues through
the same use of rational
thinking.
often makes the journey back to Myanmar,
each trip lasting for a couple of months at
a time.
Currently in her first year in the
electronic and electrical engineering course
in NTU, Hnin Pwint Phyuson, 24, cites that
her reason for staying is due to the wage and
job opportunities here being far beyond
those possible in Myanmar, but later adds
that those are the only reasons.
“If I could earn as much there (Myanmar)
as I could here, I would go back home to
work,” she says.
Dr. Tin explains that the phenomenon is
fuelled mainly by “the feeling of nationalistic
pride and the sense of community” inherent
in the Burmese. While many are keen to
pounce on the rapidly developing economic
bandwagon that Myanmar is now known
for, there are those who see more noble
reasons to return to the country.
Soe Myat’s daughter, Ms. Cynthia Soe,
22, who was born and raised in Singapore,
says that she hopes to one day be able to set
up a school in Myanmar to provide better
opportunities for Burmese children. The
communications undergraduate, currently
undergoing an internship program at
digital media agency Kult, says: “I feel
very lucky to have grown up and studied
in Singapore and want to give back in
whatever way I can.”
Echoing Cynthia’s sentiments is staff-
nurse Pyi Tha Tun, 58. Joining the Ren
Ci nursing staff 18 years ago and having
earlier spent 18 years at Yangon General
Hospital, Pyi Tha intends on retiring
in his village utilizing the expertise he
has gathered working in the healthcare
field. “I want to focus on education and
healthcare, to teach basic concepts of
health to people in the village so they

don’t make ill-advised decisions when it
comes to their health,” he says.
While many are hopeful about the
changes effected in Myanmar, and
the possibility that they can directly
contribute to effect similar changes, there
are those who have little, or no, intention
in returning to the country.
Stepping onto foreign soil as a wide-
eyed 19-year-old, Mr. Thi Han, 55, has
since come to call Singapore home.
Despite having spent his formative years
in Myanmar, Thi Han finds that he is more
rooted to Singapore than to his country
of birth. One of the key reasons being
Singapore’s often touted efficiency and
corruption-free processes. While many
Singaporeans take punctual train arrivals
and decisive action by the authorities for
granted, there are those, like Thi Han,
who appreciate the full value of it.
Despite having grown up and spending
his adolescent years in Myanmar, he finds
the procedural red tape and corruption that
mars everyday routine unbearable. He cites
an instance when he returned to visit his
parents in Myanmar.
“I was still holding a Burmese passport
at the time and upon arrival in Yangon
International Airport, the authorities
proceeded to confiscate it.” He then
elaborates on the established practice of
hiring “agents” who know exactly who
to bribe and how much (at each stage of
bureaucracy). “It was something like, one
packet of cigarettes for the first fellow and a
bottle of Johnnie Walker for the next. After
that I had my passport returned back to me
in no time.”
Quality executive at the Ren Ci
Community Hospital, Mr. Min Min
Aung, 36, similarly explains that he has no
27
LEFT: A student at the Building
and Construction Academy,
Mr Kyaw Zin Thant (centre),
23, divides his time between
school and skateboarding. He
says however that his plans after
finishing school are to work in
Malaysia instead of staying put
in Singapore even though he has
only been here just over a year.
intention of returning due to the fact that he
has gotten too used to living in Singapore.
“My children are both studying here and
I want the best for their future. I enjoy life
here and my income allows me to support
my parents at home, so there is no reason
for me to go back,” he adds.
There are also those who, having grown
up abroad, feel little sense of attachment
to either their country of birth or the
country they were brought up in. Teacher
Emiko Thein, 24, grew up following her
parents around the world on ambassadorial
postings. “Although both my parents are
Burmese and I identify as Burmese, I don’t
feel much attachment to Myanmar,” says
Emiko. Born in Japan and having grown
up in Myanmar and Australia, Emiko,
who is currently working Singapore, feels
more a citizen of the world than that of
any single nation.
28 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
 29

W
hile there can be little doubt that
Myanmar’s political and economic
revival has had an impact on the
Burmese community in Singapore, the question
for many of them is “Will I stay?”. Although
opportunities are newly abound in Myanmar,
many who have sunk their roots in Singapore feel
that their migration has become a permanent one.
Conversely, there are those, who despite having
spent many years living and working here, still feel
the yearning to return home - to retire in the less
stressful and quieter environment of Myanmar.
The new freedom experienced by Burmese at
home has led to a decline in the number of fresh
migrants opting to leave the country. Although the
generation of Burmese who have lived and worked
in Singapore for the majority of their lives are now
choosing to return to Myanmar, many are here to
stay and will continue to form an integral part of
our multi-ethnic society for years to come.
30 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

Speaking
With Confi dence
Two decades after he first came to
Singapore, Samuel has finally found
his feet living the Singapore dream.
Despite this, he remains fiercely proud
of his heritage and spares no effort in
maintaining his cultural ties and traditions.
Communication, in the form of
both concise articulation and
meticulous listening, is key to the
success of a debator. Mirroring
competition conditions, Samuel
indicates the time remaining in
order for his students to receive
the best training.
31
T
here is little that identifies Mr. Samuel Myat San,
31, as Burmese, not least his cleanly accented
English and his strong build. Only those familiar
with Burmese names might be able to pick him out as a
non-Chinese Singaporean.
The eldest son of a plastic surgeon and pediatrician,
Samuel moved to Singapore when he was 10, completing
his O and A levels at ACS(I) and ACJC. He went to
America to read International Relations at Harvard
University, writing his final thesis about sanctions in
Myanmar.
After serving his PSC scholarship bond in various
government bodies, he left the civil service to become a
full-time speech and debate trainer and plies his trade in
his alma mater as well as other schools in Singapore.
During his days working in the civil service, he had
already begun to coach school debate teams, albeit on a
pro-bono basis. He took the coaching job full time when
he left the government service.
Samuel spends most of his time at schools where he
coaches debate teams and prepares them for tournaments.
As a student he juggled between two co-curricular
activities - track & field and the debate team. Samuel
stuck with the debate team as he found it to be more
intellectually challenging, chief of his complaints about
representing the school on the track were that “no matter
how hard you trained, genetics would only let you go so
far.”
He met his wife Stephanie in 2006 and tied the knot
in November 2012. They had two wedding ceremonies,
the customary church wedding as well as a traditional
Burmese wedding back in Yangon.Born to mixed Karen
and Bamar heritage, Samuel was baptized as a Christian.
His mother, at the time a practicing Buddhist, soon
followed suit.
As a student in junior college, he actively sought out other
students of Burmese ethnicity in a bid to practice the language.
While most had, like him, moved to Singapore at a tender age,
there were those who had spent their formative years in
Myanmar and as such he found some difficulty interacting
with them, as they would often be on different wavelengths.
Despite spending more than two thirds of his life studying
and living in Singapore, Samuel fondly retains his heritage.
“Without it”, he says “we have nothing to root ourselves to and
we lose our identity.”
32 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

RIGHT: Practice debate sessions allow

Samuel to better assess the strengths and
weaknesses of each of his students.

BELOW: Attracted to the mental challenge

and the diversity of knowledge required
to be a succesful debator, Samuel is keen
to impress upon his students the need to
tackle an argument with robust and incisive
answers.
 33

LEFT: Weekend tennis

sessions offer more than just
a bout of exercise. Meeting
up with ex-colleagues
and schoolmates from the
diaspora in Singapore is a
way Samuel keeps in touch
with the community.

BELOW: Still dressed in his

longyi after a photoshoot,
Samuel spends some time
with his newly acquired
kittens. Plans for children
are on hold for now as the
felines offer him and his
wife companionship.
 34 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

“Without it, we
have nothing to RIGHT: A built-in library
stands as the showpiece

root ourselves of Samuel’s apartment

home. Filled with fiction and
philosophy alike, his thirst

to and we lose for knowledge has helped

him get to where he is today.

our identity.” BELOW: The unconscious choice of an

Officer Cadet School polo t-shirt with a
traditional Burmese longyi is but one of
- Samuel on retaining his the few ways which Samuel expresses his
dual heritage growing up with Burmese
Burmese heritage roots in a Singaporean environment
 35

Accents
From
Myanmar
At his nuptials, Samuel and
his wife received numerous
wedding gifts, some bought
and some passed down.
Pieces such as the intricately
carved dish (right) hark
back to a more traditional
artform whereas the
Burmese chess set (bottom)
and the contemporary
paintings of Burmese daily
life (below) point towards
a country prepared to
embrace its forthcoming
development.
36 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

Away,
together
Alone in Singapore, immigrants like Win Naing Oo have to deal with
the financial burden of bills and monthly rental single-handedly, as
well as the feelings of isolation from the lack of close companions.
Joined now by childhood friends and his brother, he has come a
long way since arriving alone in Singapore fifteen years ago.
 37

To save what precious little he earns, Win Naing Oo,

38, enlists the help of his younger brother Aung Khant,
33 to help him with a dye job. Although Aung Khant
stays in a worker’s dormitory in Tuas, he spends the
majority of his off days at his elder brother’s rental flat.
 38 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ABOVE:Thet Khaing (extreme right),

40 and his family followed Win to his
Jurong apartment after shifting out from
a place in Khatib. They made the move
back to Yishun for the convenience of
his two school going daughters. Along
with Hlam Min Nang (centre in green
longyi), 37, one of Win’s childhood
mates, Thet Khaing and Win have
become close friends, previously just
having been flatmates.
 39

TOP: Although
Nan Thein (left), 33,
typically takes charge
of the cooking, having
guests over means
that the responsibility
of making dinner is
shared out amongst
everyone else in the
house.

LEFT: Sifting through

unwanted jewelry
and accessories
he picked up at
his workplace, Win
receives some help
from another of his
childhood friends
Aung Naing Moe,
31, to try a necklace.
 40 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

BELOW: Privacy in a rental flat is a premium

and the common area, the living room, is
divided so that the space is fully utilised.
Aung Khant’s midday nap goes undisturbed
while a romance flick plays out alongside.
The make-shift curtain allows for the space
to be partitioned - a room within a room - for
the individual privacy of the flat mates.

RIGHT: Win Naing prays

before his household
altar before leaving on a
two week trip home. On
the floor is a photograph
of his parents, kept
in his wallet. Integral
to Burmese society,
Theraveda Buddhism is
the predominant religion
of the Bamar majority
and is practised by 89%
of the entire population.
A customary prayer for
safe passage and return
is often recited infront of
the altar before leaving
on a trip

LEFT: Having utensils and
other provisions stacked on
multiple shelves is the only
way three different groups of
people can share a kitchen,
and a three-room apartment.
41
BELOW: Despite being a
long time friends with Win,
Aung Naing still has to leave
the confines of the apartment
in order to preserve the
privacy of a phonecall.
 42 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

Win enlists the help of his flatmates and his brother to carry an air cooler, amongst
other items in his luggage, from his home to the main road. The cost of electronic
appliances and other consumer goods are considerably cheaper in Singapore and
as such, individuals often fly home carrying a whole deluge of gifts for relatives and
friends back in Myanmar. Often too much for one person to handle alone, the bags
are stuffed with items such as instant coffee mix or the latest smartphones, in order
to bypass the import duties which are imposed.
43
44 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
 45

Away
On Duty
In the wee hours of the morning when Singapore is fast sleep, the
lights of a hospital remain lit and nursing staff like San Lwin Oo
stay up and running. Instilled with a unwavering sense of duty,
the staff nurse at the Ren Ci Community Hospital undertakes his
tasks with utmost dedication and diligence.

LEFT: Used throughout the day,

the injection equipment cart is
refilled during the only time it is
not needed. A year’s posting to
the ward means that San is well
versed in what is required to
fulfil the needs of the patients.

ABOVE: Although patients are advised

to spend as much time at night to rest,
the frequent naps in the day means that
they are often have difficulty in sleeping.
Nurses are required to moniter the
patients’ activities and report to the
staff coming in on the morning shift.
46 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

RIGHT: Living just a stone’s

throw away from his
workplace, the additional
amount of rental San has
to pay for his centrally
located home is made
up by saving on transport
costs. His bicycle also
allows him to run errands
such as grocery shopping
while on the way home.

BELOW: Doubling up as a
janitor, San often has to do
the dirty work that happens in
and around the ward although
his primary duties focus on
healthcare. Despite being in
charge of a team of nurses, he
is not excused from performing
clean-up work such as clearing
soiled bedsheets.
 47

ABOVE: As the sun rises and

a fresh shift of nurses begin
their work, they have to be
briefed and updated at the
ward level before moving on
to more specific discussions
about each patient.

LEFT: San’s position as

a staff nurse allows him to
execute certain procedures,
such as drawing blood to
send for tests, a task doctors
customarily carry out.
48 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
 49

Although the night shifts take a considerably lesser physical

toll on the nurses, this is exchanged for the mental fatigue that
comes from burning the midnight oil and having to keep a close
eye on the patients and what their treatment program requires.
Administering medicine on a schedule round the clock, San has
to take care not to wake patients from their rest.
 50 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

RIGHT: Taking an off day

to attend his daughter’s
parent-teacher meeting,
San and Naw Thue, 14,
stop at a bakery to buy a
box of his favourite local
snacks, tau sar piah.

ABOVE: All that remains,

after finishing a grueling
night shift at the hospital, is
one last burst of energy for
San to cycle home and get
some well deserved sleep.

“It’s difficult to take (medical)
leave. If you don’t come to work,
there’s no one to replace you.”
- San Lwin explains why he has not
taken a day of medical leave in 5 years.
51
ABOVE: A photograph of San
and his wife in their graduation
robes hangs in the living room.
Having converted to Christianity
before his university days, San
only met his wife, also a Christian,
after she was posted to work at
the Yangon General Hospital
even though they graduated
from the same nursing college.
 52 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
RIGHT: Despite their mixed
parentage, Priscilla and
her 14-year old sister
Michelle, are more attuned
to Chinese traditions such
as celebrating the Lunar
New Year, having spent their
entire lives in Singapore.
Burmese Singaporean
For Priscilla, her dual heritage is a source of frustration,
whether from the questions she gets about her
Singaporean citizenship, or the lingering connection
she feels with Myanmar .
A
lthough she was born
and raised in Singapore,
student Priscilla Kham,
22, often gets asked whether she
is Singaporean.
“Even after I take out and
show them my pink IC, I still
get skeptical looks from people”,
she says.
Queries like that may not
seem out of place to most,
given Singapore’s current social
climate. The heavy influx of
foreigners into the country, as
well as the burgeoning ranks
of newly converted citizens,
have led Singaporeans to
become fiercely nationalistic
and protective of their identity.
While foreigners are often
chastised for their effect on
the society and economy, new
citizens are equally prone to
receiving taunting remarks;
such is the extent of these
xenophobic sentiments.
Currently interning as a
journalist at The Straits Times,
many of the people whom
Priscilla meets at work and in
her social life, some whom she
later befriends, find the need to
ask if she was born in Singapore.
This is in spite of her accent, or
lack thereof, and the fact that
the question is rarely raised
early on in the friendship.
One would presume that
repeated occurrences would
make an individual toughen up
to these hurtful encounters, she
says, “I still get offended when
people ask. I’m not lenient even
on those who are not close to
me.”
Having spent primary and
secondary school days with
some of her long-time friends,
it is not difficult to empathize
with her frustration.
Born to Burmese and
Singaporean parents, Priscilla
has no doubts over where she
chooses to call home. “My
whole life is here, my friends
and family,” she explains.
Her father, Mr. Kenneth
Kham, 63, often spends long
spells of time in Myanmar
where he oversees a community
of churches. He also runs a small
parish that conducts Burmese
services in Singapore. Although
the time he spends in Myanmar is
often in excess of six months in a
year, Priscilla and her sister have
only visited the country on four
occasions, their most recent visit
in December last year. Raising
his daughters in Singapore, he
finds no reason for the girls to
learn how converse in Burmese.
As Singaporean as she might
be at heart, Priscilla says she
feels a connection to Myanmar,
whether by way of her heritage
or because of her comparatively
privileged upbringing.
Of her inexplicable pining she
says: “I definitely want to go back
one day and do something in
Myanmar, I don’t know what it
is now, but I know I want to give
back in some way.”
 53
“I definitely want to go back
one day and do something in
Myanmar, I don’t know what
it is now, but I know I want
BELOW: The Kham family’s trips
to Myanmar often see them put up
to give back in some way.”
in hotels or on the residence of the - Priscilla on acknowledging
church that Mr Kham runs in the her Burmese heritage.
country.

ABOVE: Before joining the ministry as a

pastor, Kenneth worked as a policeman in
Myanmar. He met his wife, Florence Pang,
56, through a Christian exchange program.
 54 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

Abroad
Keeping the home Keeping the house and attending to two
young children earns San San the money
she needs to send her daughter to school
in Yangon, as well as to upkeep the home
she left four years ago for Singapore.
 55

Early to bed and first to rise, San San’s first

responsibility of the day is to kickstart the
Rainone household. Her priorities in the
morning are preparing breakfast for the
children and getting them dressed and
ready for school.
56 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ABOVE: The silent

helper at a birthday
party, San San Maw,
38, makes sure that
the tables are kept
clean and guest’s
plates kept full.
 57

LEFT: Besides preparing

breakfast for six-year old
Matteo, San San does not
help him in his morning
routine. His younger
sister however, usually
needs some persuasion
to finish her food.

BELOW: . Dashing for the bus is

not a daily occurrence as on that
particular morning, the school
transport arrived early. Usually
notified by text message, San San
had to make a run so that the other
students would not be kept waiting.

LEFT: Kept busy cleaning

the household, San San
often leaves four-year-old
Daniella to entertain herself.
Having stayed with the
family for just three months,
she has yet to build a
close relationship with the
children in the house.
58 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ABOVE: First on the agenda,

during her off day is a visit to the
temple where she prays for the
wellbeing of herself and her 11-
year old daughter at home.

RIGHT: In preparation for the

upcoming Burmese New Year
– Thingyan, buying new clothes
means making a mandatory
trip to Peninsula Plaza.
 59

ABOVE: Carrying snacks

and picnic gear, San San
and her friends walk from
the shopping center to the
Esplanade.

LEFT San San often

whips out her handphone
to snap a personal
souvenirs no matter the
place or occasion.
60 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

RIGHT: Having worked in

Singapore for over four
years, under different
employers, San San is
more than familiar with
the sights of the country.
 61

ABOVE: Foreigners in Singapore

are similarly drawn to the open
and prestigious surroundings
of Marina Bay. As tourists walk
to the Esplanade and further on
the Marina Bay Sands hotel, San
San chooses a more humble
spot under the Esplanade
Bridge to spend her day off.

LEFT: Sharing food at a

picnic brings San San and
her friends(extreme left to
right) Zin Myit, 35, Mar Lar, 32
, Hay Ma Kyaw, 26 and Mimi,
30 together, the excessive
amount of food usually
brought home for dinners.
62 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

ForforFamily
their future

As a result of his resolute work ethic,
Nay Lin, 37, received personal assistance
from his boss,to help establish a family
and a home in Singapore.
 63

Two-year-old Pyi Khant is often left alone with a jumble of toys to

play with in the day. With his father out at work the whole day,
and his mother busy with chores, Pyi Thant has to find ways
of entertaining himself until his older brother, Te Khant returns
home from school in the afternoon.
 64 MYANMAR
In Our Midst
ABOVE: Part of his job as a
construction supervisor is to
run errands for the company,
in this case, to purchase a
minor amount of paint
RIGHT: Having worked
his way up in the same
construction company
over thirteen years, Nay
Lin is given a fair amount
of trust when it comes to
instructing his workers.
 65

LEFT: Pausing a
midday nap to tease his
son, Nay Lin explains
that the toy gun is
never loaded, the foam
bullets removed for the
safety of his two boys.

ABOVE: Although the

occasional scuffle breaks
out, the young brothers
often share what they
have while waiting for
their father to come home.
66 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

LEFT: Spending the

earlier half of the day
in preschool, four-
year-old Te Khant
eagerly waits for his
father’s return home.
 67

“The most important

thing, for me, is that my
sons get to study and live
in Singapore. Whatever I
do is for their future.”
- Nay Lin on raising his
family in Singapore

LEFT: Although he ABOVE: Despite wanting

maintains a high standard them to have a head start in
of professionalism in his English-speaking Singapore,
job, Nay Lin never loses Nay Lin tries to strike a
sight of his priorities in life, balance in the education
his sons, taking as much and development of his sons
time as he can after hours by teaching them how to
to spend time with the read and write in Burmese.
boys.
 68 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

The choice of similar haircuts is one not driven

by style but by necessity. Thrift dictates that
Nay Lin cut his own hair, as well as that of his
sons. He says that he hopes that in doing so,
he is able to teach the boys about the value of
money and serve as well to bring father and
sons closer.
69
 70 MYANMAR
In Our Midst

RIGHT: Prayer and meditation

sessions held in the olden
Pali tongue, and written
in Zawgyi - the Burmese
alphabet, attract a crowd
of Burmese devotees to the
Burmese Buddhist Temple.
The crowd consists mostly of
middle income people who
visit the temple after they
knock off work.

The author would like to thank the following organisations and individuals:

Ren Ci Community Hospital

Burmese Buddhist Temple
Kim Tian Baptist Church
Shin Con Industrial Pte. Ltd

To Samuel, Win Naing, San Lwin, Priscilla, San San and Nay Lin. These are your stories, I hope that I have done justice to
them. Thank you for letting me into your lives and allowing me to learn about you, your country and your hardship. I am
eternally grateful for everything that you have so readily and generously given me.

Dr. Tin, Thihan, Ni Ni Long, Pyi Tha Tun, Phyuson(Snow), Ye Yint Aung, Vanessa and Emiko for the lovely conversations
about all things Myanmar and some things not.

Renato and Beverly Rainone

Andrew, Kathy and Samantha Branson
Mark Cheong

Mum & Dad- for letting me chase whatever stories I think are worth telling and for burning countless litres of petrol.
Kay Chin - for believing that I’d somehow pull a rhinoceros out of a hat.
71
MYANMAR This work was produced as a Final-Year Project in
t h e S c h o o l o f C o m m u n i cat i o n a n d I n f o r m at i o n ,
In Our Midst N a n ya n g T e c h n o lo g i ca l U n i v e rs i t y , S i n g a p o r e

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Wallace Woon, 2013