Writers Aung Thin, who is also a literary critic, Chit Oo Nyo, Kyaw Win and Phone (Chemistry) addressed the audience for more than six hours.

Organizer Kaung Myat Nwe, who is the publisher of Thazin magazine, said the large auditorium was packed and each writer delivered a talk.

‘We did not have enough time for a question and answer session. But, we let the audience write down questions to ask the writers and we announced that the answers would be published in the next issue of Thazin magazine’, he said.

Aung Thin, 84, gave a speech titled ‘Our Motherland’. ‘I know that even though you are in foreign country, you feel a longing for your homeland’, he said. ‘I want you to share your knowledge with people inside Burma. I want you to love not only your homeland but also the country where you are living’.

Ninety percent of the audience was young people, said Aung Thin.

‘Their enthusiasm for the talk surpassed all my expectations’, he said. ‘They were more enthusiastic than the audiences inside Burma because a literary talk is a rare opportunity in a foreign country. I’m an elderly writer so they paid me a lot of  respect’.

The organizer, Kaung Myat Nwe, said the show took six months to plan and required extensive coordination with the Singapore police, who asked for an outline of each writer’s talk. Police required the writers to avoid any discussion of politics, religion or race.

‘The police  wanted a detailed content of the literary and academic speeches’, Kaung Myat Nwe said. He said he wanted  Kyaw Win to talk about Burmese political history and the future, but it could not be done.

‘We had to sign a pledge. So Kyaw Win chose a new topic, ‘The World is Flat’”, said Kaung Myat Nwe.

Aung Thin said that literary talks  inside Burma were not as tightly controlled as the show in Singapore.

‘In Burma, we didn’t need to submit the detailed contents of a speech prior to a talk. We just needed to inform the relevant township’s administration office about the topic of the speech. Literary talks can now be held successfully in Burma without any problem’, Aung Thin said.

For Aung Thin, the event was hi first literary talk in a foreign country. In previous years, the authorities refused his request for a passport.

“The talks made people very emotional’, said Kanug Myat Nwe. ‘So, we can say that it was successful’.

It was the third talk in Singapore on Burmese literature. In  2009, Chit Oo Nyo, Nay Win Myint and Juu delivered talks and in 2010, Leltwinthar Saw Chit, Aw P Kyel and Maung Sein Win (Padeekone) spoke.