Finns urged to leave Myanmar immediately

Finland, together with the other Nordic countries, raised the alert level of its travel advice in relation to Myanmar, urging travellers “to leave the country as soon as possible.”

The travel alert was issued on 29 March as the situation in Myanmar is now deeply disturbing due to the 1 February military coup, said the foreign ministry in a press release on Wednesday.

The army and the police in Myanmar have used violence in responding to large protests against the coup. Violence has intensified and escalated over the past few weeks. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands become injured.

The number of detainees is several thousands. Both protests and the army’s efforts to quell them have mainly moved to residential areas, away from the main streets of cities. The protesters against the coup are also increasingly resorting to force against the security authorities.

The situation is dangerous for foreigners staying in the country. The risk of outsiders falling victim to violence has grown. Due to extensive strikes, many functions in society have deteriorated. Banking sector and public healthcare services are very limited, and import have practically come to a halt. Finland has strongly condemned the coup and calls for a return to democracy. Finland considers the violence perpetrated by the army against unarmed civilians strongly condemnable.

Reliable information about COVID-19 in Myanmar is not available, because testing facility is almost non-existent. Individuals exiting the country have still been able to get tested.

The Finnish Embassy in Yangon has been in touch with Finnish citizens staying in the country and advised them to leave the country. The embassy continues to follow the situation closely, added the press release.