Myanmar Mix

When Thein Tun, 71, was caught selling oranges in a no-vending zone at Yangon’s popular Bogyoke Aung San Market, he expected his goods to be confiscated.

But instead, Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) workers took him upstairs, sat him down on a chair, and crushed his two boxes of fruit in front of him.

It was a devastating moment for Thein Tun, who relies on his scant earnings to provide for his children and wife at their small dwelling in a slum in Hlaing Thar Yar, an industrial township in northwest Yangon.

But the incident, which was filmed, provoked outrage and a massive show of support for the vendor, who has been selling at the market for 50 years. Even self-styled "King of the Catwalk" Sinon Loresca sashayed his way to Thein Tun's home, bringing gifts of chocolate and a wheelchair for the vendor's daughter. 

We phoned Thein Tun to find out more.

So tell us what happened recently when YCDC workers destroyed your oranges.

They took me to their office upstairs and started destroying them. I don’t know why they did that, really. I just think they did it out of duty. I can't really say anything against their actions, mostly because I had done wrong by selling in a no-vending zone.

Many people who saw the video thought their actions were excessive. What were you thinking when they did it?

I felt my heart sink but I couldn’t do anything about it besides let the tears run down my face.

How much money did you lose?

I lost about 40,000 kyats (US$27) that day.

How many oranges do you usually sell a day?

About one to one and a half boxes. I get about 8,000 to 10,000 kyats ($5-7) after covering what the fruits cost. The money is usually used up and nothing is left for me to save.

2.jpg

Your earnings are spread among your family—can you tell us a bit about them?

There are six people in my family: four children, my wife and me. We all live in a small house. My eldest daughter, who is 39 years old, and I sell fruit together at the market. My middle son fell and injured his back, so he is disabled now. My youngest, 21 years old, has some sort of polio. She doesn’t know how to talk or walk. My other son paints houses.

When will you start selling again?

I don’t have a licence or a regular place to sit down and sell. I don’t know when I will start selling again. I don't think I'm allowed to sell fruits in the market, YCDC hasn't said anything yet. It's hard to understand the process to apply for a licence. I guess I'll have to let my daughter find out.

What was the market like 50 years ago? What were your earnings back then?

I didn't have a steady income back then so I can't tell you how much I made. Maybe around the same amount as today when a lot of visitors came.

There were a lot of clothing shops, fabric shops. It was like a department store back then. Only one day of the week many people would come—now it seems they come every single day. It has become very crowded. There were fewer gem and jewellery stores back then. Now there are a lot.

So business is better now?

Business is significantly better but as you've seen, what we're doing isn't really legal and the government has tried to get rid of us many times.

It isn't just me, you know, it happens to other vendors as well. They lose more than I do sometimes, and I feel bad that I'm the only one getting this much support. YCDC doesn't bust vendors very often; they just do it when they feel like it.

What has happened since the incident?

A lot of people and press have contacted me. I have received about 8 million kyats ($5,454) in donations.

Wow. How surprising is that level of support?

I am not necessarily happy or surprised by it. I just feel that more of the attention should go to the other vendors who are quietly suffering as I did. I was trying to make a living but this sort of incident [having fruit destroyed] was inevitable. I constantly think that all these generous people are doing this out of sympathy. I feel very uneasy but very motivated.

What will you do with the money?

I'm looking to open a store. I will invest in a small family shop selling goods; I'm looking for places to rent right now so I have to go. Goodbye.