Myanmar people living in Ireland have been reflecting on how last week’s earthquake is affecting those so far away from their homeland.
Myanmar held a minute of silence today in tribute to victims of the catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, buckling roads and flattening buildings as far away as Bangkok.
Aung San Phyo left Myanmar over 30 years ago and is now living in Dublin, but he still has many family and friends in some of the areas worst affected by the earthquake.
“I have some very good friends in Mandalay and they told me they left the city because their houses are unlivable and so they have to move to somewhere else.
“Mandalay is very close to the epicentre and lots of the houses and buildings are collasping. They are not liveable. People are even afraid to go into their houses, so they are living in the open spaces because there are a lot of aftershocks.”
“Especially at ground zero of the epicentre in Sagaing, there is no help. People are just waiting beside the dead bodies of their family. The crematoriums are full, and lots of bodies are still buried under the rubble.
“There’s a really bad stench everywhere and also the weather is very hot at the moment, so it’s obviously like a nightmare in that area now.”
For Thinzar Nway, who also lives and works in Dublin, just trying to find out what has happened to her loved ones is the biggest challenge and cause for concern.
“My uncle and cousins are mostly in Yangon city, but I also have relatives living in Mandalay. We couldn’t contact them either from here or from Yangon, because my uncle is not able to get through to them.
“I’m so worried about whether they are safe or not safe. If they are alive or they are dead. I’m not sure. We couldn’t contact with them.”
Some have been able to find out the fate of their loved ones and for Tinzar Zet, who is from Myanmar and living in Kilkenny, the news was devastating.
“I lost three people I knew in the disaster. One is my friend’s brother-in-law. He was praying at the Bogota and when the earthquake happened, the Bogota collapsed on him.”
“Another one I know for a long long time, he was my father’s friend and he is a very good person. We lost him in the earthquake. The last one was a young lad who died because he was trying to save his mom.
“We are heartbroken. This is a natural disaster and that happens. But when the government is there to help people, that’s a lot different. But in my country, in Myanmar, the junta is governing the country.
“They did the coup in 2021. Since then, they’ve been killing people. So now, when the earthquake happened, they continued killing people. They are not helping people. They are not rescuing them,” she added.
