Video of Myanmar Woman Exercising During Coup Viewed Over 16 Million Times

A video of a Myanmar woman doing aerobics while behind her military vehicles approach the nation's parliament during a coup has been viewed more than 16 million times since it was posted on Monday.

Khing Hnin Wai, a physical education teacher, originally shared the video to her Facebook page, but it was later shared to Twitter where it amassed millions of views.

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul shared the video on Twitter yesterday and said: "A woman did her regular aerobics class out in open without realizing that a coup was taking place in Myanmar. A Military convoy reaching the parliament can be seen behind the woman as she performs aerobics. Incredible!"

As Khing Hnin Wai records herself exercising, in the background, military vehicles can be seen driving towards the barricaded entrance to the Myanmar parliament.

A Reddit user translated the post attached to Khing Hnin Wai's Facebook post, which says: "Well, the music/tunes and the background definitely complement each other. Before I knew about this news in the morning, I was doing my normal thing and was recording a video for a competition. I guess this video is now my little keepsake!

"As I was dancing, helicopters were going whirl-whirl-whirl, cars going vroom-vroom. With all the guns, I thought someone was aiming at me from a distance. The police chiefs were just smiling and looking at me, even asking me if I was going home and bid me farewell. Please do not copy and paste my video though!"

The exercise instructor later shared multiple videos of herself exercising in the same location and said she did not realize that there would be an ongoing coup taking place the morning she recorded the viral video.

As well as amassing more than 16.6 million views at the time of writing, the video has gained more than 50,000 likes and more than 20,000 retweets.

Comedian Adrian Edmondson said: "Is this the most surreal film of a historical event ever?" while columnist Rita Panahi said: "That's commitment."

Filmmaker Freddie Wong shared the video and said: "This may be the single greatest shot in the history of cinema," while writer Fatima Bhutto said: "Struggling to think of a video that captures the 21st century more."

President Joe Biden has responded to the situation in Myanmar, saying in a statement released by the White House: "In a democracy, force should never seek to overrule the will of the people or attempt to erase the outcome of a credible election.

"For almost a decade, the people of Burma have been steadily working to establish elections, civilian governance, and the peaceful transfer of power. That progress should be respected."