When the time came for Myanmar‘s military to move in and seize power yesterday morning, Khing Hnin Wai was making some moves of her own.
The 26-year-old woman was throwing down very earnest aerobics moves just after dawn outside the parliament building in the capital when a dozen black vehicles, including two mounted with weapons, speed into view behind her, barreling toward the guarded entrance.
And Khing Hnin Wai didn’t miss a step, oblivious to the coup-in-progress behind her. She just kept on dancing to her fresh Indonesian beats, unaware that she was filming the moment the military swept in to seize the civilian seat of power before the new parliament convened its first meeting.
Responding to her sudden internet fame, the physical ed teacher, who works for the Ministry of Education and lives in a logging town just Naypyidaw, said she had another conflict on her mind: a fitness dance competition to win.
“The background scene and the music kind of match,” she said on Facebook, where she posted the original clip.
As she danced, she eventually noticed helicopters and additional convoys mounted with heavy weapons passing her. Some of the officers gave her a smile as they rolled by.
The clip was widely shared on social media.
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