Filipinos in Myanmar urged to ‘remain calm,’ stay home after military takeover

Department of Foreign Affairs building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Embassy in Myanmar urged all Filipinos there to “remain calm” and stay inside their homes after Myanmar’s military took over the country in an apparent coup.

“The Embassy urges all Filipinos in Myanmar to remain calm and to stay at home. All Filipinos are encouraged to register with the Embassy. Please also make sure that you are included in the Embassy township coordination group,” the embassy said in a Facebook post.

Filipinos yet to be registered with the embassy, meanwhile, were advised to send a message to the embassy through its Facebook page so that they can be connected with the assigned coordinator for their respective township.

“For emergencies, you may call the Embassy landline at 01 558149-153 of the Embassy hotline at 09250765938,” the embassy added.

Based on the latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are 1,273 Filipinos in Myanmar.

Malacañang said the Philippine government stands ready for a possible repatriation of Filipinos from Myanmar.

While Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque refused to comment on the “internal” matters of Myanmar, he stressed that the government’s top priority at the moment is to ensure the safety of Filipinos there.

Earlier Monday, Myanmar’s military declared a state of emergency for a year after it detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior government officials.

This, after Myanmar’s military said a “stability” of the state was needed after alleged irregularities in the November election won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democratic party.

JPV

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