Many Burmese living in Taiwan are concerned about their homeland and family members following the March 28 earthquake. Due to damaged communication infrastructure, some have been unable to contact their families, or have only been able to communicate briefly.
One Burmese woman, surnamed Wu (伍), said she was in Mandalay on the day of the quake, but left early in the morning to attend a meeting. When the earthquake occurred, she said she had already passed a highway section that later ruptured from the shaking, but might have been trapped had she left any later.
Huan Huan (歡歡), a student at Lee-Ming Institute of Technology, said her aunt was so frightened by the earthquake that her legs gave out. Luckily, her employers at the grocery store she runs were able to carry her out before the building collapsed. Unfortunately, she has been unable to get in touch with her aunt since learning she had survived the quake.
Regarding whether travel to the region is safe following last week’s temblor, a Taiwanese travel operator said on Tuesday that apart from the collapse of an audit office that was under construction in Thailand, the situation throughout most areas in Southeast Asia has returned to normal.