QUINN MCGANNON WRITES — Recent years have seen an explosion of protests across Asia, most stemming from a frustration with oppressive governments and lack of freedoms. An increasing number of young people in Asia are participating in their countries’ affairs, and they’re not being subtle about it. While protests generally…
LAMA ALTAHER WRITES – Although the recent military coup in Myanmar saw a democratically elected government overthrown, the events were reminiscent of the Arab Spring protests across Asia and Africa in 2010. The Myanmar military junta has a long history of using excessive force to crack down on protests, which…
LIAM ROGERS WRITES — With the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the former Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar-she who had also supported the genocidal actions of the Myanmar armed forces against the Rohingya in 2017-the Myanmar military has usurped…
HYUNG JUN YOU WRITES – At this very moment, the world is enduring more than one genocide, but surely none is worse than the plight of the Rohingyas. Myanmar is a Buddhist majority country comprised of 135 different ethnicities.While there are few ethnic groups that are not officially recognized by…
MADISON KOCHENDERFER WRITES — Aung San Suu Kyi emerged triumphant and strong after winning the Nobel Peace Prize and becoming the State Counsellor for the Burmese people in 2016. For nearly 27 years, she served as a symbol of peace, gaining the utmost support from the Burmese people who demanded…
From the independent news and opinion site The Irrawaddy, ALEX LAZAR WRITES: Aung San Suu Kyi is treating the press in Myanmar poorly, and that may impede her efforts to democratize the conflict-wrought country. But is Suu Kyi’s apparent authoritarian streak mere caution? Expanding civil liberties too forcefully could bait…
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – In view of recent events, journalists and activists have come together to call on Aung San Suu Kyi to raise awareness and be the voice of what the United Nations has called the world’s most persecuted people – The Rohingya.
Though the media in Asia and the rest of the world mainly applauded President Obama’s historic visit to Myanmar (Burma), some in the media nonetheless felt compelled to draw attention to his linguistic shortcomings. Oh well…and, really, they did have a point. What happened was that Obama had to deal…
President Barack Obama knows he is making history with his 80-hour stop overs in Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Cambodia. He will be the first President to visit half of the ASEAN membership while still in his first term. Speculation about Obama’s motives behind the visit have created an influx of…
Thaksin Shinawatra (pictured left with his sister, Yingluck, the current Thai prime minister) is undoubtedly the most controversial politician ever to become prime minister of Thailand, an oft-ignored country in Southeast Asia with a population and landmass greater than Britain or Italy. (But who besides a Thai knows this?) Elected…
Recent headlines in the Myanmar media are a clear indication of a polarized country. Some articles touch on Japanese plans to develop the Myanmar Stock Exchange. Others describe the plights of 471 confirmed political prisoners in Myanmar, with 465 more awaiting confirmation. Looking at the Myanmar headlines on Mizzima News,…
The country of Burma (but these days Myanmar, in the official UN nomenclature) is suddenly receiving a lot of positive press, and rightly so. The military junta has released a record number of political prisoners in recent months, opened dialogue between the government and ethnic minorities, and even held some…
