{"id":1487,"date":"2021-07-23T03:22:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T03:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/?p=1487"},"modified":"2025-04-22T04:26:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T04:26:48","slug":"sealord-myanmar-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/2021\/07\/23\/sealord-myanmar-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"Sad Memories as Myanmar Workers Rally to Help Refugees ‘Running for Their Lives’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"sealords<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

When Zar Zar Maung was just 4-years-old, she and her 18-month-old sister Thu Zar ran for their lives.<\/p>\n\n

They ran through jungle to the sound of bullets and bombs, fleeing unrest in Myanmar where their father had been involved in protests.<\/p>\n\n

That was in 1990. Now, they\u2019re watching the same thing happen to family and friends, as killings and unrest continue following a military coup in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Together with their employer, Sealord, they\u2019re raising money to support refugees fleeing the latest violence.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

The Maung sisters remember the fear of escaping their home country after the coup in 1990. \u201cWe were scared for our lives \u2013 we would run when we heard the sound of guns and bombs. We managed to sneak into Thailand to a refugee camp there.<\/p>

\u201cOur Dad died in the jungle, and we also lost our grandfather, who was killed. It\u2019s hard seeing what\u2019s happening in Myanmar being repeated,\u201d they said. Their story isn\u2019t unusual among their Burmese colleagues at Sealord in Nelson.<\/p>

Ram Talawng remembers sheltering in the jungle under banana leaves as they fled with nothing \u2013 not even shoes. Occasionally groups helped by giving them rides in a car, risking their own lives to do so.<\/p>

\u201cAt one time, there were nine of us along the back seat of a car and another time I slept with two others in the trunk of a car. It felt like I couldn\u2019t breathe.\u201d Van Lian fled with his sister, living in India until they were sponsored to come to New Zealand. \u201cIt was too dangerous to stay.\u201d<\/p>

All have made a life in New Zealand and are grateful for what they have. But they\u2019re also sad and worried, as they watch friends and family back in Myanmar going through the same thing.<\/p>

A military Junta has ruled Myanmar since seizing power <\/strong>in a coup on February 1<\/a>, after disputing the landslide election of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy Party. By Tuesday 922 people had been killed and 5315 were being detained, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners <\/a>reported.<\/p>

Zar Zar Maung said knowing their friends and family were going through the same thing they had experienced was hard. \u201cJust so, so sad, because I remember that feeling … I feel so sorry for them, especially the little kids.<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re so lucky to have survived such a tragic event, and we\u2019re here living such a peaceful life. I just wish them to have the same one day.\u201d Sealord chief executive Doug Paulin said he was aware the events would have hit home for the company\u2019s 54 Burmese employees, so they\u2019d met arranged a meeting to see what they could do.<\/p>

Hearing their stories brought home the reality of what they had experienced, he said. \u201cThey tell stories of running through the jungle with bullets flying over their heads.\u201d<\/p>

They had contacted the Prime Minister on behalf of the staff, and were raising money to support the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand, which supports displaced refugees and migrant workers. Staff had already donated money from their wages, matched by the company to total $7000.<\/p>

Now, a special shift was being organised where office staff would take to the factory floor to make and package fish bites. All proceeds from products made in that shift would also be donated, Paulin said. A typical shift makes about 50 tonnes, and he\u2019s hopeful they\u2019ll still make \u201clots\u201d.<\/p>

\u201cI will be the fastest packer you have ever seen.\u201d<\/p>

Zar Zar Maung said family back home were touched when they heard about the fundraising here. \u201cThey always say why can\u2019t our government just take a little bit of that, and have that mentality of caring for people.\u201d<\/p>

Every dollar would help, she said.<\/p>

\u201cA few dollars here can do so much over there … They\u2019re running for their lives.\u201d<\/p>

Sad memories as Myanmar workers rally to help refugees ‘running for their lives’ | Stuff.co.nz<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Zar Zar Maung was just 4-years-old, she and her 18-month-old sister Thu Zar ran for their lives. They ran through jungle to the sound of bullets and bombs, fleeing unrest in Myanmar where their father had been involved in protests. That was in 1990. Now, they\u2019re watching the same thing happen to family and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1487"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2960,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1487\/revisions\/2960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}