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Amid nationwide protests against Myanmar’s military regime, a series of arson attacks on 32 Chinese-funded factories in the Yangon industrial townships of Hlaingthaya and Shwepyitha on March 14 and 15, causing what China’s state media was nearly 240 million yuan (U.S. $37 million) in damages. A Myanmar owner who rented warehouse space to destroyed textile factories spoke to RFA’s Myanmar Service on the attacks that took place in Shwepyitha on March 15. The businessman’s account of events contradicted official claims that anti-coup protesters torched the factories, and he has had to go into hiding along with his family. He spoke to RFA on condition that his name and business be withheld.
RFA: What do you know about the arson destruction of factories that were your tenants this week?
Myanmar businessman: On the 15th at around 2:30 or 3pm, about 30 people in black clothes holding swords arrived on motorcycles and set fires — starting in the hallway between two factories – and then they left. The employees then put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and the fire died out. Then they came back around 3:30 or 4 pm and saw the fire had been extinguished, climbed over the wall and entered into the factory, forced employees at the point of swords to open the factory doors. They shouted warnings at residents who came to the scene that anyone who recorded the incident with a cellphone would be slashed, so no one dared to take pictures or videos. Then they threatened employees with swords and forced them out of the factory. The security guards and five Chinese nationals inside the factory were forced to flee. Then they torched the factory again.
RFA: So they broke into the factory, threatened workers with swords, and set fires. How many were there? What organization do they belong to? Were they gangsters, or some well-trained organization?
Myanmar businessman: Residents in the community said the men were not from nearby. There were about 30 of them, all in black clothes — like a unified action in uniforms. As they all wore black clothes, once riots erupted, it was easy to identify the men in black as their own guys. In addition, they all held long swords and waved them at crowds who wanted to shoot photos or videos or extinguish the fire, shouting that whoever dared would be chopped to death. This shows that they were afraid that their crimes be exposed and that they did it with premeditation.
RFA: The military regime claims that it was the residents who committed arson. Why is there this difference in explanation?
Myanmar businessman: It wasn’t residents. You can ask any resident in this community. The local residents tried their best to extinguish the fire, but the rioters stopped them and threatened them with knives and death. The residents worried that the boiler in the factory might explode, and this could be seen clearly from the video screenshot. Only after they left, could the residents extinguish the fire. The factory is very close to community residences, but luckily the wind blew the fire in the other direction and the residences could be saved. Local people would not burn their own homes to ashes.
RFA: Some say that it was the owner of the factory who set the fire to destroy his factory because the economy has become so bad that he could not afford to pay salaries to workers. Is this true?
Myanmar businessman: No way. The company which rented the warehouse building from me was doing very well, and even expanded to other places, with a giant factory in Hlaingtharya, and one in Bago. As far as I know, they are not franchising, taking production orders from others, but design and make products themselves. They have been renting my warehouse for five years already.
RFA: It was said that in Shwepyitha that the Chinese manager of a Chinese garment factory himself set the fire that destroyed his factory. There were also other reports saying that all the other factories were burned by military and police. How credible are these accounts?
Myanmar businessman: Those arsonists did not wear military or police uniforms. They were all in black. That’s all I can say.
RFA: The Chinese government has demanded the military regime who seized power to ensure the lives and property of Chinese companies and citizens. As one of the owners of the destroyed factory warehouses, what do you say?
Myanmar businessman: The security personnel of the military regime were not here on Sunday. The military announced its taking over on the 16th, while the arson was on 15th. They said it was a Chinese factory, but actually the Chinese rented the warehouse for production. What’s more, the local residents would not risk their own homelands being destroyed and themselves being rebuked as to set fire. The owners of the warehouse are Myanmar citizens; the land and buildings all belong to Myanmar citizens, and the Chinese citizens rent it for their business. The Chinese citizens’ property is only the equipment– sewing machines, etc. In addition, our warehouse is located on the far edge of the industrial zone, far away from the roads where people held demonstrations. And none of the demonstrators had swords, or wore such clothes. And the arsonists are all middle-aged, not youngsters. They all held swords and had tattoos, like some bad eggs, thugs or thieves.
RFA: How do you feel after losing a warehouse?
Myanmar businessman: My first factory warehouse was about 150,000 square feet in size, my investment is very big, and now all of it is gone. The Chinese companies who invested also lost thousands of sewing machines, and thousands of workers lost jobs. Our development was very stable and smooth in the past five years, and no one could have imagined that today everything would go back to zero. It’s hard to start over again from the very beginning. I feel very frustrated.
Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Thein Aung.
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