Irrawaddy-Oct 14
Military rule in Myanmar is taking a toll on every front – from people’s day-to-day lives to their safety to their future.To escape the deteriorating situation at home, young and middle-aged educated citizens from the middle and upper classes are now leaving the country in increasing numbers. Many have fled abroad in search of career opportunities, better futures for their children, or simply safer living conditions. But their varied reasons for leaving their homeland are dominated by a single impulse: They no longer want to live under a military dictatorship. The new emigrants are heading to many different places overseas – some are crossing oceans and continents while others are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Ma San San is among them. The Yangon native first thought about leaving the country in June, then spent July planning her departure before moving abroad with her two children one month later. Previously, she had been among the many citizens waiting for stability and peace to return after the coup last year. But she waited in vain for more than a year. Ma San San is a fashion designer who makes dresses for special events. But her career came to a halt after the coup as events and shows dried up. She and her 8-year-old twins were left completely dependent on her husband’s income as a seaman.
“I waited over one year, which was enough. It was time to think about the education of my children. Finally, my husband and I decided to move to Thailand so our children could study here,” said San San, who now lives in Chiang Mai on a guardian visa. Like many Myanmar parents, she was expecting to send her children to public school amid high expectations of educational reforms made by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. But the dreams of millions in Myanmar were shattered when the military staged a coup on February 1 last year. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmars-brain-drain-grows-amid-chaos-of-life-under-military-rule.html
