Expats amidst the protests in Asia

Written byVeedushi Bissessuron 10 February 2021

India and Myanmar have taken drastic measures following protests during the past few weeks. Expats, like locals, are currently faced with barricades on main roads, water cuts and internet blocks restricting access to telecommunication. Expats tell us about their experiences during these times.

In this article

The situation in India and Myanmar
What about expats?

The situation in India and Myanmar

Over the past weekend, thousands of police officers were deployed to different parts of India due to the farmers' protest against the government's agricultural reforms. This movement began on January 26 during the National Day celebrations. Furious farmers aboard their agricultural vehicles invaded the crowd during the military parade where hundreds of police officers were injured. The Indian government is, therefore being extra cautious. Ten metro stations were closed in New Delhi and checkpoints have been set up at the main crossroads.

In November, farmers demanded the cancellation of reforms aimed at liberalising the agricultural market. Protesters are threatening to pursue their action until October 2 if the government does not back off. The protest resulted in water and internet cuts as a sign of government pressure. Social networks were also blocked.

The Indian government claims that these measures are meant to "maintain public safety". Still, reactions came from worldwide, including celebrities, like Rihanna, the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the niece of the American vice-president Kamala Harris who is of Indian origin, and Jim Costa who is a Democratic member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the American Congress. The Ministry of Information Technology ordered Twitter to block all content posted on its platform with the hashtag "#ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide". Although these accounts were subsequently unblocked, many consider this an attempt to hinder freedom of expression. India is, in fact, known for its oppression methods, ranking 142nd out of 180 countries in 2020 in the world index of press freedom produced by Reporters Without Borders.

But India wasn't the only country to block the internet and undermine the right to information and communication during the past few weeks. The coup in Myanmar also led to the blocking of social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Today, Facebook is the primary source of information and communication in the country, especially for expatriates who are far from home and their loved ones. However, some Burmese used this tool to call for protests. When Facebook was blocked, they started posting on Twitter and Instagram which were also blocked.

The coup is the result of the home arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National Party for Democracy (LND), who is accused of electoral fraud during the November 2020 elections. On Monday, February 8, the military junta was commented for the first time by the commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing. He gave his guarantee that new elections will be and that power will be handed to the winner with due transparency. Many international bodies, including the United Nations and the American White House, warned Myanmar against potential sanctions.

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What about expats?

The situation is quite delicate in Yangon, the economic capital of Myanmar which is also the place where most expatriates have settled. With telecommunications disrupted, many expatriates were unable to contact their dear ones to inquire about their safety or to reassure them. The internet block also resulted in limited access to information, thus creating panic among expats. When the internet was restored, many like Jennifer, an American expat in Yangon, were quick to request advice or share tips on social networks. “If you have to make international calls, Ooredoo is the best option. But make sure you have refilled your account as it is costly”.

Kelly, another American expat, advises expats to use Skype to contact their family overseas. “If social networks are blocked again, Skype is the only thing that will work. My dad, who is in the US, tried to contact me, but the call didn't go through, so we tried Skype, and it worked. Remember to give your local phone number to your dear ones ”. Others admit they use a VPN to bypass the internet block. "The only thing left for them to do is to completely block the internet," they say. Some are also calling for vigilance against misinformation. “In such times, it's difficult to stay up-to-date, so avoid spreading false news and spreading terror,” they warn.

On the other hand, Burmese citizens made calls for revolt to expatriates via social networks, particularly to those who have contacted their respective embassies for possible repatriation. Burmese expatriates are also threatening to protest abroad. However, expatriates in Myanmar prefer to stay on the safe side. “When we applied for a visa, we swore not to engage in politics. We can just talk about it, but participating in the demonstrations isn't even an issue for us. We don't want to be arrested or deported, ”says Jordan who is originally from the US.

Another expat adds that: “In 2007, Kenji Nagai was shot dead in broad daylight. I'm not sure they think about nationality before they eliminate people. Also, we all agreed not to indulge in politics during our stay. Yes, this is an exceptional circumstance, but the question of "foreign influence" has always been part of the military narrative. We can only exist here with the agreement not to engage in this sort of thing”.

As the situation worsens in Myanmar, Yangon International Airport and most banks will remain closed until further notice.

Everyday life

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About the author

Veedushi Bissessur

I hold a French diploma and worked as a journalist in Mauritius for six years. I have over a decade of experience as a bilingual web editor at Expat.com, including five years as an editorial assistant. Before joining the Expat.com team, I worked as a journalist/reporter in several Mauritian newsrooms. My experience of over six years in the Mauritian press gave me the opportunity to meet many prominent figures and cover a wide range of events across various topics.

Comments

gvarun5 years ago(Modified)
Completely off. The internet block in India was only effected in a certain area of a city. Why have you not included how it has affected the expats in India, due to your claimed internet block?

Vivekdadhwal5 years ago(Modified)
Unfortunately the editor has compared two different situations without knowing much of the facts. In India a law was brought forward through democratic process getting it through elected members of parliament. In Myanmar military took over the basic and fundamental rights of citizens. The protest in India is not different than any other protest in Europe or rest of the world to ask for lifting covid lock down. In India the so called protestors stormed the red fort during republic day celebrations and still not a single person was seriously injured comparison to Capitol Hill protestors in America where many were killed. The problem with these articles are written without knowing ground realities and picking up half truth information from internet. So kindly do your homework diligently before putting anything online.

deafdrummer5 years ago(Modified)
I am seeing NOTHING of the sort here in Baroḍā in Gujarāt state. Things are normal except for masking, temp-taking, and sanitizing, and there is already a relaxed state of being here. Also, the Farmer's Protest is anything but that. Here's the real story. The farmer's strike is not what it appears to be. It's because of the middlemen who cheated farmers for decades through fraud, taking away their money, and restricting who, what, and where the produce could be sold to. Later, it was the Islamists, Khalistanis, Communists, separatists, seculars, etc. who hijacked this movement away from the middlemen who protested being cut out of their CRIMINAL activities. The middlemen need to get farms and start growing crops, or even accept crops for processing as processors themselves, or find something else altogether to do. They will feel better about themselves if they do. I offer you proof. davp.nic.in/ebook/puttingfarmersfirst/index.html Now, farmers can grow their crops anywhere and sell their crops, ANY CROPS, ANYWHERE, even internationally, and sell directly to customers who come up to their farms, to food manufacturers, restaurants. Prior to the reforms, they were not LEGALLY allowed to do this. They now can earn more money for themselves without raising the prices so much at the market now. It benefits both farmers and customers. And that has been happening here in Gujarāt, where I LIVE. And they now have better insurance coverage for disasters and get money from the gov't on a regular basis to help support them. Also, the farming industry is being improved to help with traveling to more distant markets by providing warehouses along the way, cold storage chains, and the ability to grow crops that don't stand up to the completely natural method of getting produce to the market without refrigeration. I talked to a friend in Sūrat on Sunday, who told me that several of his farmer friends have really benefited from the farmer reforms. I also talked to a farmer directly through WA, who said that he has benefited as well. He has tree crops. So, those protestors are not farmers and those who think that MSP, or Minimum Price Support, will go away, and that is not true at all. In fact, MSP will be strengthened so that it applies in ALL contracts so as to protect the farmer from fraud and cheating. If prices go up, he can get that much, but he will be paid his MSP AT MINIMUM. He has legal recourse if they don't. So, ask those "farmers" who they really are. It's time to crack down on corruption on the farming industry that has short-changed the farmers for decades. We still have internal and external enemies.

Rudra19855 years ago(Modified)
First of all please check your facts. You are saying that Internet and water supplies are blocked to suppress the farmer protest please provide a valid source to back this claim. Not a single district, town or a village is deprived of water or Internet. Why are you spreading lies out here. Also you are saying the international celebrities are back the protest, did you know that the tweets by Rihanna and Greta are not organic but are out of pre planned systematic action (ask me for a proof and i will give you) and I am cent percent sure that no expat in India is in trouble due to farmer protest. There are more than 400 million farmers and person related to farming in India out of which only few thousand are protesting to which government are having multiple rounds of talks with protesting farmers. Farmers have right to protest and government of India are having discussion with them. Now how does this internal issue of India becomes a pain for International people. I suggest please mind your own business and don't comment on things which are not of your concern.