Myanmar coup: British national in Yangon hears ‘constant gunshots’ and is ‘terrified’ she won’t make it home safely

A 25-year-old British national in Myanmar says she has been hearing constant gunshots for days and is concerned about returning to the UK safely.

Lydia, from south London, flew to Myanmar in July last year to volunteer in a British primary school.

The 25-year-old said she was aware of some political unrest in the country, formerly known as Burma, but had no idea that a military coup would take place until she woke up on the morning of February 1 to discover no one had access to the Internet.

Myanmar’s military announced it was taking control of the country and that it had detained the country’s de-factor leader Aung San Suu Kyi, president Win Myint and other senior officials.

Protests against the military coup have been growing with the military’s response becoming increasingly violent.

Lydia told the Evening Standard: “It was quite calm and then the protests started happening. For the first two weeks the military didn’t want to resort to violence.

“Then the protests started getting bigger and bigger and the military made an announcement last week that they were going to end it by using any means necessary.

“I’ve been hearing constant gunshots from my apartment for the past few days.

“From my window I can see the people protesting are making barricades to keep the military out. This morning they were making shields from whatever they could find.”

She said the military later broke through the barricade and a protester ran into her apartment building.

“They grabbed him and led him outside with a gun to his head. I was terrified,” Lydia said.

According to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, as many as 1,000 people were detained on Sunday, including several journalists.

Lydia said there has been some “confusion” from the UK Government about whether British nationals need a coronavirus test to leave the country.

She said there were reports that some British Nationals were turned away from the airport on Sunday because they didn’t have a Covid-19 test, however this is thought to be due to a misunderstanding with an airline’s interpretation of Government advice.

The UK Government is advising British Nationals who have concerns for their safety to consider leaving Myanmar by commercial means. People arriving in England from Myanmar are currently exempt from rules requiring a pre-departure test.

Travel guidance was updated on Monday to extend the travel exemption.

“We’ve booked our tickets for a relief flight on Thursday but we’re really worried,” Lydia told the Standard.

“They only take cash here and all of the ATMs don’t have any money. We tried to go to one yesterday, but we saw a standoff with the military in the street and they started marching towards us so we ran home.

“It’s impossible to do anything here.”

Lydia said the charity she works for has been communicating with the government and local hospitals. The charity was told “26 people died” after they were shot during the protests including “a little boy who was also shot”.

The United Nations said it has “credible information” that at least 18 people were killed and 30 were wounded across Myanmar on Sunday.

But the independent news outlet, the Democratic Voice of Burma, has put the death toll somewhere in the 20s.

The UN’s independent expert on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a statement: “What the world is watching in Myanmar is outrageous and unacceptable.

“Words of condemnation are necessary and welcome but insufficient. The world must act. We must all act.”

Since her arrival in Myanmar, Lydia said the coronavirus restrictions have become stricter and she has been mostly volunteering from her apartment in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.

She said at one point after the coup she had no access to the internet for 24 hours and that some of her friends Facebook accounts have been blocked.

“It’s really scary and I feel like we, British nationals, feel all alone,” Lydia said.

“A lot of people are worried about being stuck here but a lot of us also feel guilty because we want to help our friends who are protesting.”

Last month the UK Government imposed sanctions on three Myanmar generals and announced new efforts to stop UK businesses working with Myanmar’s military.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called on the generals to release all those “detained arbitrarily” since they seized power.

He told reporters on Monday: “One month on and the military in Myanmar continues to escalate its use of violence to support its coup, including the killing of peaceful protesters over the weekend.

“The people of Myanmar want their voices heard and are showing huge bravery in response to this brutality.

“Today, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s elected leader, again faced politically-motivated charges.

“The international community must do everything it can to bring pressure to bear to halt the violence, release those detained arbitrarily and restore the elected government.”

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