Who Are the Burmese in Singapore?

Burma, current day Myanmar, is a sovereign state in South East Asia bordered by Bangladesh, India, China,Laos and Thailand. As of 2013, there are 53.3 million people residing in Burma. Faced with the same colonial fate as with Singapore throughout its early 19th to 20th century, migration within and out of Burma was no stranger, as people were driven out from their hometowns and villages in search of better living conditions and job opportunities elsewhere. It is interesting to know that while colonialism is no longer in fashion, the latter decades of Burmese military rule, as reported by Simon Roughneen, had pressed its citizens to emigrate to nearby countries such as Thailand and Singapore in search of jobs and simply a livelihood. Some reasons reported for the popularity of Singapore as a migrant choice include "its openness to foreign workers, relatively high salaries and developed economy." Today, there are no less than 200,000 Burmese migrants in Singapore.

Speaking to Mr Khun Yae Chan, a Burmese migrant who has lived and worked in Singapore since 2007, we managed to gain an insight into his life here, as well as his thoughts about heading home. Mr Khun is from the Southern Shan State, the third largest city in Myanmar and he speaks English, the dialect known as Pa'O as well as Burmese. He also shares that the Southern Shan State has their traditional costumes, literature as well as culture. Below is the transcript of our interview with Mr Khun:

Q: How long have you been staying in Singapore? A: I've been here since 2007, so about 8-9 years now.

Q: Any impressions of the people here, or the city in general? A: [It was] a lot of difference First the infrastructure. As I land in airport, I don't know much about the things [here] so infrastructure, firstly. Police, or immigration officers. I didn't know where to go and don't know where to collect my luggages. So some of them were really kind to take me to the luggage collection area.

Q: Did you come alone, or with some friends from your hometown, or your family members? A: Yeah I came alone.

Q: What made you come to Singapore? A: [The] intention for a better living. That's the first reason. Because my aunty was here, but now she migrated to Australia. But she was here and was a PR. She sponsored me and I came to look for a job, and kind of struggled also with the job. Because I can only stay for two months, it didn't turn out as I expected. I thought I would get as quick [a job] as they (agents) promised but it didn't turn out that way. So for a better living, and also as a young [person], as a chance to learn more. Q: Are you married? A: I just married three years ago. Actually we met here, and I got one baby, and my wife went back for good to start her own business there. Yeah, we are from the same hometown but we didn't know each other before.

Q: When was the last time you flew back to Myanmar? A: It was 15 January 2016. I went back for 15 days. Actually [it] is not really for annual leave. It was for my father, he passed away.

Q: How often do you reconnect with your family and friends from home via phone calls or video calls? A: Last time used to be like one month one time, one week one time. As Myanmar is opening, now Weber, Facebook are a lot easier even from the village, remote are. So we can keep connected all the time. Yeah the Internet.

Q: Do you send physical items, such as clothings, or other personal items, back to Myanmar often? A: Yeah sometimes as a gift. Like Singapore T-shirts, keychains, also very common, chocolate and things like that. Q: What are some of the things you miss most from home, such as food or certain activities etc? A: Family. Life here is quite hectic. The place we used to hang out with friends. Q: Do you have any intention to stay in Singapore permanently? For instance, have you thought about relocating? Or do you want to go back to Myanmar once your job here is done? A: I do want to go back. Maybe this will be my last year. I didn't really have an intention to stay for good, honestly. Q: Have you got any local friends that you are close with? Or are they mostly fellow Burmese? A: We hangout a lot with Burmese friends. Because Singapore friends have their family. And have to give time for their friends and [have their] own schedules. But we may work together, and become good friends or close friends. But in terms of hanging out, we hang out more with the Burmese people. Because their family is not here, mostly, they are here to earn a living. So [on] off day, they will go out and relax together. For those Singaporean friends, they have their own friends and own schedules.

We then moved on to casually speak about his jobs, how it was like back in Myanmar, any future plans and his thoughts on Singaporeans.

On Jobs:

My first job [was] in Tanjong Pagar. This is my second job. I joined this company slightly more than a year. The working range is okay. It’s not about enjoy or not enjoying, it's about earning a living. We have to love what we do sometimes. Yeah we have to do from, maybe because of the F&B, a lot of manpower problems, we have to do basics and sometimes to the management level.

On how it was like back in Myanmar:

I am a graduate of Economics. After my school, i worked as a tour guide, and once i worked as hotel receptionist for about five, six years. After that I contacted my aunty, and she said why don't you try something new here and i decided [to come over.

I don't really feel that much. In Myanmar, it used be under military regime and so even holding a degree, you might end up on the street. It's not something new, it doesn't guarantee you that if you hold a degree you might get to go somewhere to look for job. It's not like that. Lots of the young people holding degrees, just a paper. It used to be like that but now, they [the regime] are now offering more opportunities, trying to focus on the education, the young people and the future. But not for our time.

On future plans:

My intention is to start something small, trying to get some initial growth. Trying to start small business. I may not look for a job. Maybe I try something for myself first. See how it works out.

On staying in Shan-state after return:

I may have to travel. Depends on what kind of opportunities and work I get into.

I may come back Singapore as part of business plans, who knows.

On Visa here:

S-Pass. I did try once for PR but got rejected. And I didn't try anymore since then. I am not going to live here for good, so better to give that PR chance to someone else.

On Singaporeans;

Generally they are good people. I find them complaining. Maybe they are very well taken care of. I don't know, maybe they should explore more to not so developed countries so they can see what's the difference of life. I see you people are very well taken care of. And they should be more considerable or [considerate]. Because as I work in F&B, most of the time, Singaporeans they like to...let's say two, three people, they eating, they used like sometimes more than ten spoons around and a box of tissue for one plate of food. And I also encounter western people, as tourists they come, they only take what they need. They consider a part of environment. But to Singaporeans, they feel like it's their rights. Sometimes i see it that way but this may not be right for everybody.

Part II of Mr Khun's interview will be available in the upcoming posts, touching more on Peninsula Plaza, and other regular hangout places as well as religious places.

[Mr Khun at his work place, Kokomama. Photo by Clara]

References:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Emigrants-in-Singapore-s-little-Myanmar-eye-their-homeland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar

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