Insight Myanmar

Episode #292: Anrike Visser is Senior Policy Advisor at The Sentry, an investigative and policy organization. She focuses on economic statecraft, and joins us to discuss the challenges and complexities of sanctions in conflict zones like Myanmar. Anrike brings a wealth of insight into the mechanics and challenges of using economic measures to weaken Myanmar’s military junta. Drawing on years of ex...

Episode #291: Charles Petrie, a former United Nations official with extensive experience in conflict zones, reflects on his time working with the UN and his recent journey to conflict-ridden areas in Myanmar. Petrie criticizes the UN's limitations and failures, especially regarding its handling of crises in Myanmar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and other places. He argues that the UN often oversimplifies co...

Episode #290: Nyo Mar's story is one of resilience, perseverance, and a relentless fight against discrimination in Myanmar. Born into a Muslim minority family in a remote area of Myanmar, her early life was shaped by the harsh realities of being a part of a marginalized community. Her father, a government health supervisor, faced derogatory slurs and institutional discrimination, which deeply ange...

Episode #289: Patrick Burgess is an Australian barrister, international human rights lawyer, and singer-songwriter who has spent his life working at the intersection of law, conflict, and advocacy. His career has taken him to conflict zones such as Rwanda, East Timor, Yemen, Cambodia, as well as Burma. Patrick’s career took shape upon seeing scenes of the horrors of the Rwanda genocide on TV, whic...

Episode #288: Anagarika Munindra was born in 1915 in a village that later became part of Bangladesh. Raised in an ancient Buddhist clan, he grew up in a loving family and showed a profound interest in the Dharma from an early age. He left his village for Calcutta in 1936 and later joined the Mahabodhi Society. Munindra eventually moved to Burma in 1957, where he studied with Mahasi Sayadaw and imm...

Episode #287: “I actually find the process of rock climbing quite similar to activism, because during rock climbing, you always fall! You always get disappointed about why couldn't I just get to the top and get to the peak?! But every time we fall, we just keep going. Like what we do in activism.” Johnson Yeung, a prominent pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong, has been at the forefront of region...

Episode #286: “Some people during the so-called transition, people in Yangon, were like, 'The military is changing!' Like, no, they're not; they're changing the way they talk to you , to elites, but they're not changing on the ground. And if you spent as much time speaking to survivors of military violence, you'll notice that they torture and kill basically for sport. There's no logic behind it, o...

Episode #285: “We can't live under the mercy of Rakhine or the Burmese. Would you give your personal guarantee that the atrocities that have been committed over the decades, and centuries, for that matter, will not happen again?” As a Rohingya, Sujauddin Karimuddin has, from a young age, witnessed the systemic and growing discrimination, violence, and displacement inflicted upon his community. As...

Episode #284: Aye Chan Naing is a pioneering journalist and activist dedicated to independent media in Myanmar. He co-founded the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) in the years following the military's violent crackdown during the 1988 student-led uprising. He was drawn to activism after witnessing the brutality of the regime. After fleeing to the Thai-Burma border, he joined the All Burma Students'...

Episode #283: Friedgard Lottermoser, who passed away in August 2024 at 82, lived an extraordinary life. Her story, comparable to Heinrich Harrer’s in “Seven Years in Tibet,” has never been fully told—until now.  Born in Nazi Germany, she grew up in the difficult post-war, reconstruction years. In 1959, when she was 17, her stepfather moved the family to Rangoon, Burma, for his new job. F...

Episode #282: Brian Hioe has been a life-long activist. He participated in Occupy Wall Street, Japan’s anti-nuclear protests, and the Sunflower Movement, which protested Taiwan’s growing economic ties with China. His experience during these movements culminated in founding New Bloom Magazine, which aimed to provide a bilingual platform focused on Taiwan’s social and political issues from the persp...

Episode #281: Born into conflict, Lartar grew up as the daughter of a Karen National Union (KNU) commander in the remote jungles of Myanmar. From the tender age of three, her life was almost a never-ending flight from the Burmese military's grasp. At seven, she was sent to a school in KNU-held territory, taught by part-time soldier-teachers who rotated between the classroom and the front lines. Th...

Episode #280: Episode #280: In this episode, Matthew Schojan shares his deeply personal journey through recovery, spiritual practice, and public service. Beginning in his early teens, Matthew faced significant personal challenges and began using substances as a way to cope. In his early twenties, while living in New York, he made the life-altering decision to get sober—a turning point that opened...

Episode #279: “Having internet or having information is life and death in those areas If you have internet you can at least know if the airplanes are coming, if the battles are becoming intensive in the areas that you live. But without that you don't know anything! You cannot run away from air strike, you cannot run away if the airplane is over your head; there’s very little chance that you surviv...

Episode #278: The 4th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) took place in August 2024, hosted by Chiang Mai University's RCSD. The event gathered scholars, activists, and experts to discuss Myanmar's political, social, and economic challenges, including conflicts, peace processes, human rights, and the 2021 coup's effects. With an estimated 800 attendees, it was one of the larg...

Episode #277: Sean Turnell, an author, economic advisor, and former political prisoner, graced a podcast for the third time to share his insights on Myanmar's deteriorating financial situation. The military's relentless pursuit of hard currency has resulted in rampant resource exploitation, serving either the generals' personal wealth or the purchase of more arms (along with lining their cronies’...

The stakes for Myanmar are very high in the upcoming US election. Given the two candidates’ different perspectives on international involvement, the transition to a new US administration will directly affect the way the country helps shape global responses to authoritarianism and human rights abuses. This is particularly true in Myanmar. The panel discussion focuses on how U.S. leadership might en...

Episode #275: Nyein Chan May's story is one of unyielding resilience and fierce commitment to justice in the face of overwhelming adversity. Born and raised in Myanmar, she grew up in a society steeped in patriarchal norms and military oppression. But Nyein Chan May refused to be confined by these outdated ideologies. She left Myanmar just before the coup to study political science and intersectio...

Episode #274: Kyaw San Han, a former police captain turned dissident, offers a stark narrative of courage amid systemic oppression. Fleeing Myanmar with his family, he now lives in Japan, where he continues to advocate for democracy and resistance against the military junta.   His journey began in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, a natural disaster that exposed the military's indifferenc...

Episode #273: The 4th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS), hosted by Chiang Mai University in August 2024, brought together over 800 scholars, activists, and experts to discuss Myanmar's political, social, and economic challenges, including the impact of the 2021 coup. Insight Myanmar Podcast was given exclusive access to cover the event, where we recorded brief interviews wi...

Episode #272: “I didn't want to be in a world where we have to keep watching people struggling for freedom and then getting suppressed and getting their dreams crushed. [In Burma,] it was mostly women and girls who were participating in the protests, even more than men! I prayed at that time… I'm not religious, but I just wished and prayed for some way to help. And from that point on, after that p...

Episode #271: During the anti-military protests of 1988, the man known as Monkey was just an observer. A friend asked him, “Are you a man? If you are a man, why do you just sit and look?” However, over the next 9 years, Monkey had the misfortunate of becoming more personally acquainted with the terror of the Tatmadaw, which regularly brought death and destruction to his community in Karenni s...

Episode #270: Adelina Kamal, who makes her second appearance on the podcast, guides listeners through an enlightening journey into the complex and often fraught world of humanitarian aid and crisis management. With nearly three decades of experience within the ASEAN system, Adelina brings to the table a wealth of knowledge about the political and operational nuances of delivering humanitarian aid...

Episode #269: Jansen Stovicek reflects on the emotional and practical challenges surrounding his decision to disrobe after 16 years as a monk. Initially, the idea of disrobing felt unimaginable, as his identity had been deeply intertwined with monastic life and strictly following the 90 billion-plus rules of the Vinaya. But after disrobing, Jansen encountered difficulty securing a place to stay as...

Episode #268: In a discussion emblematic of the complexities inherent in international diplomacy, Scot Marciel, former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, elucidates the multifaceted challenges of addressing the crisis there. Marcel’s thinking, informed by his extensive diplomatic service, highlights a pervasive hesitancy among international actors to engage decisively with the Myanmar military, largely d...