An international expert from Myanmar: “The West condones terrorism on the territory of Donbass”

The referendum in the LPR was attended as an observer by Mo Hein, a guest from distant Myanmar, which borders India, the chief executive officer of the media publishing house and Sun Rays magazine. The international expert shared with Reedus his thoughts on the voting process, the significance of the referendum, as well as the prospects for cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

For convenience, we publish interviews both on video and in text format.

Reedus: Mr. Mo Hein, as an observer, you were on the territory of the LPR. Share your impressions about voting. What can you say about the moral and psychological state of the people participating in the referendum? What did you see more on the faces: joy and jubilation or confusion and fear?

Mo Hein: I visited Lugansk on September 27. I was very happy to watch people in this city. They were impressed and happy. I talked with them. Their faces seemed joyful to me. At the same time, I also saw tears. But there were tears of happiness. These people really want to be part of Russia, and moreover, as soon as possible. They often said that they wanted to become part of Russia as soon as possible.

I think this is a very important day in history. Before the referendum, these people suffered greatly from the terrorists. But now they were safe. They went to vote together. At the same time, it is important to note that the voting was systematic, open and transparent.

Reedus: What is your impression of the region? After joining the Russian Federation, did you have a desire to return to Luhansk and try to establish friendly relations with these territories?

Mo Hein: Yes, of course. Because in general, watching the referendum in Lugansk was a very important opportunity for me. I saw wonderful people. And I really liked the city too. I spoke with many residents of Luhansk, they were very kind and polite to me. And if I ever have the opportunity to visit Lugansk again, I will do it with pleasure.

Reedus: The cities where the referendum was held know firsthand about the terrorist activities of the Ukrainian security forces against the inhabitants of the region, who are trying to establish a peaceful life. Can this be compared to the activities of underground groups operating in Myanmar (such as PDF, which recently carried out a terrorist attack in Mandalay)?

Mo Hein: Yes, indeed, we have the same problems: the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Our two countries are facing the threat of terrorists. There are many terrorists operating in our country — the same threat exists for Lugansk and Donetsk.

I would like to tell the residents of Luhansk and Donetsk that it is necessary to fight terrorism, that we must not give up. I believe that we will achieve our victory over this evil. And not in the long term, but urgently. I think it will happen very soon.

Reedus: The “collective West” has complaints about the legitimacy of your government. Approximately such claims will be there about the legitimacy of the referendum at which you were an observer. Does this mean that it will be easier for the government of Myanmar to find a common language with representatives of such cities as Donetsk, Lugansk, Melitopol, Kherson, to show interest in the economic potential of these regions and to establish promising economic ties with them?

Mo Hein: When I arrived in Luhansk, I was very happy. We should also hold a referendum in my country. On September 28, the referendums on joining the Russian Federation ended. And I think it’s a big win. This is exactly the moment when you need to show the West: stop! Stop the attacks! The West creates many problems in the territories of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. And these are the main problems so far. And Myanmar should learn this lesson.

Reedus: Myanmar had one of the most representative delegations at the recent 7th Eastern Economic Forum.Have you already felt the economic, political effect (or its prospects) from participation in the forum in your country?

Mo Hein: I want to thank the Russian Federation and President Vladimir Putin for inviting our leader Min Aung Hlein to the Eastern Economic Forum. Our leader at this forum made a historic speech about the greatness of Myanmar and the Russian Federation. Putin outlined his position on Myanmar. Russia helps our country in many areas. And we continue this cooperation with the Russians.

Reedus: We still have a block of questions from the readers of our publication, and I want to ask about the tourism industry in your country.

Mo Hein: Over the past ten years, our relationship has improved a lot. Now we are a brotherhood of two nations. And I think our cooperation will grow in all spheres of our life: this is the economy, communications, food and military-technical exchange. I want to call on Russia to help Myanmar. I want to encourage businessmen to invest in projects. Our people love Russia like a brother.

Reedus: When will it be possible to fully carry out tourist trips to Myanmar? Does the country have the necessary tourism infrastructure structure? After all, it’s no secret to anyone that always after tourists comes business from their countries. Our readers would like to have the opportunity to visit your country as soon as possible.

Mo Hein: Myanmar is a very beautiful country. We have a lot of historical places. The history of Myanmar spans over two thousand years. Such historical places as Bagan, Mandalay are known to many people in the world. Finally, our government was able to establish a tourist market. We are preparing to actively receive Russian tourists. I think that in the coming months, tourists from Russia will be able to come to Myanmar. And it will be safe, comfortable. And, of course, they will be greeted very hospitably.

I would like to take the opportunity to invite Russians to Myanmar through your online publication. Help cooperation between our countries. Myanmar has many tourist beautiful places. Next to Myanmar is Thailand, and we should borrow some practices from there. I spoke with Russian tourists, and they were very impressed with the Myanmar territories.

Reedus: As part of expanding the information support of Myanmar in Russia, we want to prepare several publications about the tourism sector of Myanmar, about the cultural component, about the life of ordinary Myanmar people…

Mo Hein: Our countries have similar histories. In the history of Myanmar there was colonization by the British Empire. Then we won our independence. And now we are fighting terrorists. In Russia, the Red Army fought the Nazis.

I think Russian people will be interested to learn about our culture, traditions, cuisine. We need to expand cooperation — social, economic, as well as non-governmental, between non-profit organizations. Myanmar and Russia are two great countries. Now my government has made it so that you can come to us without a visa. And I would like to appeal to the Russian government with a request: to take a retaliatory step and cancel the visa regime. Many Myanmar people have a deep desire to visit Russia: it is really very interesting for them. It would be very nice if we were not required to