‘Help us save Myanmar. Stop crime against humanity’ and ‘We want our leader free’, read placards carried by Buddhist monks and nuns in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. ‘We want democracy’ is written in huge white letters on the tarmac of a street in Yangon, the country’s largest city. And, perhaps most colloquially, and possibly displaying a real understanding of English, ‘Ur help can support our Myanmar citizens’ was posted on Twitter in response to Indonesia confirming it wouldn’t ask the military government to hold new elections.
What’s interesting about the language of these protests is that, of Myanmar’s 53 million citizens, it’s estimated only 5% speak English. And, in a study by Education First, Myanmar came 93rd out of 100 countries for English language ability. Still, English is the language the protesters believe will reach the most people and, crucially, governments around the world.
Speaking to Reuters news agency, student Ko Ko Lwin said, “Writing in English is more effective than writing in Burmese. We want the international community to help us.”
