Yangon parties on despite tough circumstances in war-torn Myanmar

New eateries, nightspots sprout in economic hub, while many in country live in poverty

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It was close to midnight in Yangon, about one hour before the start of the military-mandated curfew. The car workshops had long gone silent in this eastern industrial estate. But the party was just starting.

Youth clad in hoodies and sneakers thronged the narrow lane in front of a nightclub where security staff escorted patrons from their taxis to the entrance. A casually parked Mercedes coupe added to the traffic snarl.

Inside, the dance floor was heaving. In a swirl of tobacco and cannabis smoke, a deejay in a baseball jersey and baggy trousers worked the crowd to a frenzy. At a 400,000 kyat (S$258) “VIP” table, a young woman with a plastic straw in hand giggled as she bent over to snort one of the five rows of white substance on a mobile phone screen.

Life in Myanmar’s economic capital thrums to a rhythm starkly different from the war-torn corners of the country.

In the borderlands of Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, the military that ousted Myanmar’s civilian government in 2021 is defending a shrinking territory against ethnic armed groups and resistance forces that have emerged in response to its coup.

Some three million people have been forced to flee their homes, and poverty now afflicts one-third of its 55 million population – a level not seen since 2015. Inflation in the year to March 2024 was 26.5 per cent, according to the World Bank.

The exodus of talent and labour has been worsened by the military’s bid to conscript civilians to shore up its depleted ranks.

In Yangon, however, new eateries and nightspots continue to sprout and at least one art gallery has opened, defying the gloom brought on by the military power grab three years ago.