Insight Myanmar

We were honored to join our friends at The Bangkok Podcast to discuss the origins of our platform and how we've navigated the challenges of hosting discussions in the post-coup environment. We are sharing an interview that occurred on their feed earlier in the year.

Episode #267: Yèshua Moser-Puangsuwan discusses the profound impact of landmines in Myanmar with an equal mix of empathy and depth. He vividly describes how retreating soldiers have planted landmines indiscriminately in both military and civilian areas, leading to devastating consequences. His meticulous investigations reveal the Myanmar military's systematic and large-scale use of landmines, whi...

Episode #266: We are joined by Kimi Colney and Makepeace Sitlhou, journalists covering the humanitarian crisis and ethnic conflicts along the Indo-Myanmar border in India’s northeastern states. They discuss the complex dynamics of this region, characterized by its diversity in ethnicity, language, and religion, and its physical and psychological isolation from the rest of India. Kimi and Makepeace...

Episode #265: Marc Batac's story is one of profound political transformation, reflecting the broader struggles of Southeast Asia. Born in the eastern regions of the Philippines, Marc's early exposure to socioeconomic struggle, and the dysfunctionality of governance and political patronage in his homeland, shaped his worldview and set him on a course of activism. In 2017, Marc played a pivotal role...

Episode #264: Shalini Sri Perumal delves into her expertise in community-based healthcare, particularly focusing on the integration of indigenous and traditional medicine among Burmese migrant women in Thailand. Shalini's professional journey includes significant work with the Mae Tao Clinic on the Thai-Burma border, an important healthcare facility founded by Dr. Cynthia Maung. The clinic has exp...

Episode #263: Sanjay Valentine Gathia weighs in on the complex India-Myanmar relationship, highlighting the historical context and evolving policies that have shaped it. He underscores the importance of understanding the diverse voices emerging from Myanmar's Spring Revolution, emphasizing the need for India to reassess its strategic interests and adopt a more inclusive approach. He critiques the...

Episode #262: Hnin Thet Hmu Khin, a dedicated women's rights activist, reveals the often undocumented struggles and triumphs of women in Myanmar's revolution. Despite their widespread and committed participation, women are conspicuously absent from media narratives and decision-making roles, often relegated to the background even as they stand at the forefront of the fight for freedom. She bravely...

Episode #261: Saw Kapi delves into his journey and contributions to Myanmar's democratic and educational landscape. His story began with involvement in the 1988 student uprising against military rule, which led him to the Thai-Burma border to join the resistance. The struggle for democracy became a central theme in his life, intertwining with his identity as a student and later as an educator. Saw...

Episode #260: Helene Buchholz, a journalist from Germany, ventured into the heart of Myanmar's conflict, driven by a personal mission to shed light on an underreported crisis. A radio journalist for the German public broadcasting network, Helene stepped out of her comfort zone, undergoing extensive training to prepare for the dangers that lay ahead. In Myanmar, Helene embedded herself with the Peo...

Episode #259: When Dr. Jenny Ko Gyi followed her military husband to a remote posting in rural Gangaw, she had no idea how profoundly the experience would affect not only her own spiritual life, but also go on to impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of meditators across Myanmar. Jenny was working at the local clinic, and a colleague told her about a small meditation retreat she had attended d...

Episode #258: On this special day of August 8th, the anniversary of 8888, we bring you a story of freedom. Azad's mission is a testament to the enduring spirit of international solidarity and the fight for democracy. An internationalist from the USA, Azad's journey began in the heart of the Rojava revolution in northeastern Syria, where he spent four years aligning with the Kurdish-led Syrian Demo...

Episode #257: This is a story about how the Burmese are willing to pass through hell and high water in order to evict the military from their seat of power, and achieve their democracy. Lorcan Lovett is an experienced journalist who has dedicated much of his career to covering Myanmar’s tumultuous and complex political and cultural landscape. He paints a vivid picture of the dynamic energy that ch...

Episode #256: Michael Haack, a long-time advocate and policy expert, outlines the long and arduous journey of the Burma Act from its inception to appropriation. The Burma Act, a legislative framework guiding US policy toward Myanmar, required relentless lobbying to secure the necessary funding, ultimately resulting in a significant $167 million appropriation, a notable increase in a period of gene...

Episode #255: Roger Huang dives into the enigmatic nature of Myanmar's political landscape, arguing that the transition period wasn't driven by external pressures like sanctions or international isolation, but by an internal recalibration towards the military realizing its vision of a “disciplined democracy.” This vision is rooted in the failure of the Burmese Way to Socialism of the 1960s-70s, wh...

Episode #254: Kitti Prasirtsuk, a professor at Thammasat University, explains that neither ASEAN, nor Thailand in particular, have done enough to address the regionally important Myanmar crisis. In terms of Thailand, its strong economic ties to Myanmar, as well as their close military-to-military relations, have influenced its passive approach. He underscores the necessity of engaging Myanmar's mi...

Episode #253: This is the 4th installment of our interview with Jonathan Crowley, a dedicated vipassana meditator in the tradition of S. N. Goenka. In this episode, he speaks about the time he and his wife Carolyn spent in Myanmar, and how that affected his spiritual journey in general, and specifically his practice of meditation. Myanmar is particularly vulnerable to “Orientalism,” a term referri...

Episode #252: Born in a Thai refugee camp after his family fled the violence in Myanmar, Star2’s life has been remarkable. His family moved to San Diego when he was just five, and there he faced a new set of challenges, including language barriers, cultural adjustments and bullying. To escape these hardships, he found solace and inspiration in music, particularly hip-hop. Influenced by artist...

Episode #251: Alexandra Kaloyanides joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Baptizing Burma: Religious Change in the Last Buddhist Kingdom. After pursuing her own meditation practice while exploring more traditional themes in Buddhist studies, she became fascinated by “these young evangelical Americans who ended up sort of by accident in Burma.” She notes that the origins of missionary in...

Episode #250: Rosalia (“Lia”) Sciortino, founder of SEA Junction in Bangkok, shares her poignant narrative of dedication to the country of Myanmar. Her journey began with an interest in cultural anthropology and development sociology, which led her to Southeast Asia. Lia's subsequent work with the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and IDRC provided her with a deeper understanding of the reg...

Episode #249: Nathan Ruser, a geospatial analyst focusing on human rights, sheds light on a deeply troubling situation unfolding in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Ruser has meticulously detailed the actions of the Arakan Army (AA), revealing a pattern of arson attacks targeting Rohingya villages. These attacks, which spanned from late April to May 2024, have displaced tens of thousands and razed numerou...

Episode #248: Working in ASEAN for 27 years, Adelina Kamal played a pivotal role in establishing and ultimately being appointed executive director of its AHA Centre for Coordinated Disaster Response, and she also co-drafted the ASEAN agreement on disaster management and emergency response. Overall, she admires the organization. “Basically I grew up together with ASEAN and I have become the person...

Episode #247: Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), shares his insights into the ongoing atrocities in Myanmar. He emphasizes the critical need for collecting and preserving evidence amid the escalating crisis, where crimes have only intensified since the military coup in 2021. Indeed, IIMM’s mission is to meticulously gather and verify evidence...

Episode #246: Thura, co-founder of Spring University Myanmar (SUM), offers a poignant narrative of resilience and innovation in the face of tyranny. Following the 2021 coup, Myanmar's youth found themselves grappling with a reality where traditional education systems crumbled under the weight of military oppression. Thura's response was visionary: establishing an alternative educational platform t...

Episode #245: Barry Lapping shares his spiritual odyssey from the turbulence of the Vietnam War era and counterculture movement, to the serene hills of Bodhgaya, India, to becoming a vipassana meditation teacher in western Massachusetts. His story begins with a chance encounter with a captivating magazine photo of a meditator in the mountains of New Mexico, which ignited his quest to find true hap...

Episode #244: Matthew Arnold details the aftermath of Operation 1027, and how this has dramatically shifted the landscape of conflict in Myanmar. The junta's inability to maintain control, compounded by losing key territories, showcases a dramatic shift in power dynamics. Arnold emphasizes that the ceasefire brokered by China, although seemingly significant, is more a tactical pause than a strateg...