On November 14, Ko Thet Htoo Hlaing turned to Facebook to ask for help in locating his missing uncle. 70-year-old U Nyunt Wai, who lives at home with his family, including his nephew Ko Thet Htoo, went missing from their house sometime between 8am and 10am that morning.
The family filed a missing persons report at the Sanchaung police station, which was presumably where he went missing. Ko Thet Htoo also shared pictures of the last sighting of U Nyunt Wai from a CCTV camera.
Due to a recent stroke, U Nyunt Wai had lost some of his memory and speech abilities, leaving him particularly vulnerable. Ko Thet Htoo also noted that his uncle had been prescribed medication that he must take daily.
The Facebook post garnered approximately 2,000 likes and over 5,000 shares.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. U Nyunt Wai was reunited with his family after he was spotted near a bus stop in South Okkalapa Township, which is 10 kilometers from Sanchaung by the quickest route.
Ko Thet Htoo updated his original Facebook post to thank everyone who shared it and reached out to him about possible leads.
We’re very glad to hear that U Nyunt Wai is now safely back at home.
Considering how popular Facebook is in Myanmar, this is also an amazing example of social media being one of the most effective means of spreading information, especially in times of crisis.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that U Nyunt Wai was found in North Okkalapa Township, 14 kilometers from where he was last seen. He was actually found in South OkkalapaTownship, which is 10 kilometers from where he was last spotted. We apologize for the error.
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