Episode #233: Jeff Vogt, Legal Director of the Solidarity Center and member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body, discusses significant labor issues in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup. Vogt explains the role of ILO Conventions 87 and 29, which Myanmar has ratified, focusing on the right to freedom of association and the prohibition of forced labor. He details the historical context of labor unions in Myanmar, noting a brief period post-2011 where laws allowed...

Episode #232: Kasit Piromya exemplifies a life dedicated to the service of his country and human rights. From a long-standing career as a Thai diplomat to a post-retirement shift into politics, Khun Kasit has transitioned into a vocal advocate for democracy and civil liberties. With an unfiltered candor rare among politicians, he recently lambasted the Thai government's cozy relationship with Myanmar's military and their complicit role in illicit border activities. During this podcast...

In the charged atmosphere following Myanmar's 2021 military coup, a young Burmese, known as Little Activist on Twitter, radically changed from his previous political apathy to a total engagement in activism. He abandoned his studies in engineering, rejecting a degree from what he deemed an illegitimate regime. Instead, he channeled his efforts into raising global awareness about Myanmar's plight. With nearly 15,000 Twitter followers, he translates local news into English, facing frequent...

Episode #231: Guillaume de Langre, a former adviser to the Myanmar Ministry of Electricity and Energy, addressing the military regime’s urgent need to exploit the country’s natural resources to keep afloat in the nation’s ruined economy. He first notes that while valuable ores and minerals, like gold, silver, lithium, and jade, have been integral to the military economy since at least 1990, profits from these resources have not resulted diversified, equitable development or improved living...

Anthony Davis, a seasoned analyst deeply immersed in the nuances of insurgency and military affairs in the Asia-Pacific, including Myanmar, sits down with us today. He begins by articulating the palpable and sweeping resolve for change he sees across Burmese society— a collective epiphany that transcends ethnic lines and generations. And it isn't merely a repudiation of military despotism; it's a profound societal transformation, signaling a revolutionary tide reshaping every aspect of...

Episode #230: “Unfortunately, in 2020, after the NLD won a landslide election, there was a military coup. And [then] the PDF resistance started. I took part in the resistance as I had years before, but there is a difference this time, too,” explains Nway. Inspired by his mother, an active participant in politics since Ne Win's 1962 coup, Nway's involvement in the resistance included clandestine communication with Aung San Suu Kyi during her detention and risky efforts to deliver messages to...

Episode #229: Leon Kennedy's life is a chronicle of personal struggle. Growing up in an era of historical significance, his parents were heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement, with figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks frequent visitors to his grandparent's home. But when his parents divorced, the pain and the absence of a male role model led him down a path of rebellion despite the noble influences that had surrounded him. His mom sent him to an all-white high school,...

Episode #228: Jane Ferguson speaks about her recent book, Repossessing Shanland: Myanmar, Thailand, and a Nation-State Deferred. The book’s title refers to Shan attempts to reclaim their land and community after many years of conflict. Ferguson explains that contemporary concepts of identity—like “ethnicity”—are often mistakenly used to interpret the past. Rather, her study reveals the lack of pan-Shan identity, and that even the way the Shan practiced Buddhism varied from east to west. The...

Episode #227: Nathan Ruser, a specialist at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), is an expert in geo-mapping. Building on his experience using satellite imagery to track human rights violations in areas like Syria and Shenzhen, Ruser has begun analyzing the unique nature of the conflict in Myanmar. Influenced by the country’s geographic and ethnic diversity, the clashes here defy conventional understanding, and Ruser has developed a numerical scale to map control levels, often...

Episode #226: After the National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s landslide victory in 2015, Ko Ko Gyi remembers thinking to himself, “Okay, this is the time to retire from my activism, so let's just relax. I felt forced to retire." This is now a rueful memory as Ko Ko Gyi looks back over some of the key moments in his decades-long struggle for Myanmar’s freedom, and autonomy from military rule and brutality.    The trigger for his activism was in 1987 when the Burmese government suddenly...

Episode #225: In this third part of the ongoing discussion with Jonathan Crowley, we delve deeper into his experiences as an Assistant Teacher in the S.N. Goenka tradition of Vipassana meditation. Jonathan starts off by saying how he was moved by his appointment as an assistant teacher, but also candidly describes how aspiring teachers learn the importance of feigning disinterest, creating a false ego around the process. Jonathan then reflects on the weight of officially representing the...

Episode #224: Saw Htee Char, working under a pseudonym for safety reasons, has been heavily involved in Myanmar since the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Recognizing a significant gap in accessible, reliable information about the conflict in Myanmar, Saw Htee Char established the Substack page, Burma Coup Resistance Notes. Contrary to the often simplistic and misleading interpretations of the conflict as an internal issue with blame on both sides, Saw Htee Char presents a starkly...

Episode #223: Raised in a Myanmar military compound, Thinzar Shunlei Yi grew up sheltered from her nation's realities. University life exposed her to diverse ethnic narratives, challenging her military-centric worldview. Embracing democracy through literature and the internet, she grappled with guilt over the military's oppression. Her activism took shape through protests and performance art, even embodying a displaced Shan person to promote empathy among the Bamar majority. The 2021 coup...

Episode #222: Davin Hartanto, an experienced migration agent, discusses changes in Australia's student visa strategy, particularly how it is affecting Myanmar nationals after the coup. The changes are intended to verify applicants' intentions to return home after studies, a problematic criterion for those from conflict zones. Hartanto explains the discretionary power of immigration officers, which has resulted in a high visa refusal rate for Burmese applicants, which escalated notably after...

Episode #221: Our guest, Lorenzo Colombo, talks about the great Italian monk, U Lokānatha. Born Salvatore Cioffi near Naples in 1897, his family temporarily moved to New York due to economic difficulties. Salvatore embarked on a spiritual quest early in life. Though his family were devout Roman Catholics, Salvatore initially explored positivism but eventually found himself drawn to Buddhism, quite unusual for a Westerner at that time. Salvatore abandoned his family and possessions, venturing...

Episode #220: Elliott Prasse-Freeman, author of the recent book “Rights Refused,” joins the podcast for a wide-ranging, erudite discussion. Prasse-Freeman first distinguishes between two kinds of anti-regime acts. One he calls an act of “refusal.” In other words, one avoids direct confrontation and instead supports various prosocial, community-based society initiatives around things the state is unwilling or unable to support. The other he calls an act of “resistance,” when it the time is...

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) in Washington DC leverages public data to uncover illicit activities linked to global security threats and human rights abuses. As our guest Savanna Slaughter explains, her team focuses on natural resource security, wildlife crimes, and national security concerns. In Myanmar, they have been investigating the junta's military funding and illicit financial flows, including crony financing. However, sourcing data poses significant challenges,...

Episode #219: “The whole military is fragile. The military is collapsing,” says Kyaw Zaw, the spokesperson for the National Unity Government. “This is an unprecedented time, and a turning point in this revolution. It shows that we are winning, and when we are fighting together, then the military is collapsing. When the military fails, then this revolution will succeed!” Despite the pre-coup perception of Myanmar's military might, corruption and defections have significantly weakened it....

Episode #218: Beth Upton, a former Buddhist nun who practiced extensively in Burma and has become an influential teacher in the West, returns to the podcast. She reflects on how the richness of Burmese Buddhism has profoundly impacted her identity and teaching style, and highlights the critical need to acknowledge and preserve its spiritual heritage, especially in the face of the ongoing crisis. The prolonged conflict, she notes, has not only limited access to the depth of Burmese teachings,...

Episode #217: Bo Thanmani has emerged as a pivotal figure in the resistance against the military coup in Myanmar. Born into poverty as Tun Oo, he became a monk to access education, which led to English study, further opening the door to democratic thought. His earlier advocacy for human rights led him to undertake bold Peace Walks across Germany, the US, and Thailand; garnering international attention in the process. However, the brutal response to peaceful protests after the 2021 military...

Episode #216: Helena Cing Deih Sian explores the interaction of socio-historical context and urban spaces, emphasizing how history manifests in architecture and planning. Her work investigates the influence of memories in shaping the narrative of a city, particularly focusing on Myanmar. She explores how architecture serves as a medium of identity expression and community remembrance, albeit sometimes warped by those in power. Helena discusses how the military junta has manipulated historical...

Episode #215: Ko Ko Aung's life journey is a testament to resilience and purpose amidst Myanmar's political unrest. He was raised in a middle-class family in southern Myanmar, yet unlike his two brothers, Ko Ko Aung chose to focus on academics rather than the family business, making ngapi. He went to study law in Australia, aiming to aid his homeland's transition to democracy. Upon graduation, Ko Ko Aung specialized in immigration law, unknowingly preparing for the post-2021 coup crisis that...

Episode #214: Whit Hornsberger's spiritual journey began unexpectedly when a devastating ACL injury ended his basketball career at the University of Calgary. The loss of his identity as an athlete plunged him into darkness, and he sought solace in surfing and partying in Australia. His path took a significant turn, however, when he discovered the teachings of the Dalai Lama and delved into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. “I laughed to myself, and I realized in that moment, I was certainly not...

Episode #213: Isaac Evans-Frantz outlines the mission of Action Corps, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to justice and solidarity in the face of global disasters. One of their initiatives is in support of ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Myanmar. Even though Isaac has never visited Myanmar, the work hits home in a personal way. “When I was a child, somebody came to my class and spoke about surviving the Holocaust. He had been in a Nazi death camp, he showed us the...