SARA ALTUWAIJRI WRITES — Myanmar is facing a second wave of COVID-19, new cases are skyrocketing and, with general elections coming November 8, officials are accusing Rohingya of spreading the second wave of COVID. Why the blame? So that those aiming for election or re-election can gain people’s support. As…
Full Article MYANMAR: ROHINGYA DROWNING IN BLAME FOR SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19
SENAY EMMANUEL WRITES—Last weekend, a delegation of Burmese representatives traveled to neighboring Bangladesh to speak with some of the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees situated there. Their goal was to confront this humanitarian crisis and somehow convince these beleaguered refugees to return to Myanmar. This isn’t the first time the…
Full Article MYANMAR: IF MERE TALK WAS CONVERTIBLE TO RICHES, THE ROHINGYA WOULD SURE BE IN THE CHIPS
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES– Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, victims of Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing, are packed into refugee camps just 20 miles from the city of Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh. Their everyday life is riddled with little access to education and restricted cellular reception. And they are social pariahs. “The average…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Rohingya Exodus – What’s Happening in Cox’s Bazar?
This is the second in a series of Asia Media International Podcasts in political and cultural issues. Follow our Soundcloud and social media to stay updated with the latest podcasts. Speaker: Olivia Nightingale Olivia Nightingale is the Program Associate for Civil and Political Rights and Humanitarian Response at American Jewish…
Full Article Rohingya Crisis: Does Anyone Care?
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – After being accused of breaching Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act, two Reuters reporters, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were detained by police in December and have been held in custody since. The two reporters had been working on covering the military crackdown on insurgents…
Full Article MYANMAR: IS AMAL THE RIGHT VISITOR FOR THE ROHINGYA REUTERS’ CASE?
BETH MCLAUGHLIN WRITES – Most people are by now familiar with “Humans of New York” —photojournalist Brandon Stanton’s project of interviewing ordinary, anonymous New Yorkers about whatever is on their minds. Stanton has a wide audience that goes beyond his Facebook page. With two best-selling books, 20 million followers across…
Full Article MYANMAR: Humans of the Rohingya — Brandon Stanton Helps Refugees Prepare for Monsoon Season
NINA YUSTIARTI WRITES – Since August, more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh for safety. The Rohingya are one of many ethnic minorities in the country of Myanmar. With around one million people identifying as Rohingya Muslims, they represent the largest percentage of Muslims in the country. They…
Full Article MYANMAR: ROHINGYA WOMEN AND THEIR STORIES
BETH MCLAUGHLIN WRITES – Oh, Myanmar––until recently, a symbol of hope, but the once-pariah state has fallen again. In 2010, the country had shaken off its military leadership and was charting a path towards democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her work as…
Full Article MYANMAR: IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – The freedom of the press in Myanmar is in a questionable state. Despite talk of a transitioning democracy, it is unclear whether human rights, such as freedom of the press, will receive the reform needed to become fully democratized. Lau Hon Meng and Mok Choy Lin,…
Full Article MYANMAR: THE FUTURE OF THE FREEDOM OF PRESS
MADISON KOCHENDERFER WRITES — With censorship so prominent in Myanmar, it is vital that artists from this country are especially applauded for their works and the challenges they faced to simply offer their perspectives. Below are a few spotlight artists that went beyond censorship limitations to share their work with…
Full Article MYANMAR: HOW ART HAS SURPASSED CENSORSHIP LAWS
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…
Full Article MYANMAR: THE FALL OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI
MADISON KOCHENDERFER WRITES — If a responsible journalist, it is one’s duty to ensure that the information shared with the world is accurate, especially in a time where fake news is so rampant. When media exploits “alternative facts,” attention detracts from where it is truly needed, and individuals are left…
Full Article MYANMAR: MYANMAR JOURNALISTS FIND NEW HOPE IN DATA JOURNALISM
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…
Full Article MYANMAR: THE MEDIA MYSTERY OF AUNG SAN SUU KYIALEXANDRE GUIRAUD-COINTREAU WRITES – While the once-repressive Myanmar transitions to democratic rule with new freedoms being given, the country is discovering equally new ways to communicate and exchange ideas. One is a new website, also available as a smartphone application, called Squar. The website TechInAsia describes Squar as the first social media site…
Full Article MYANMAR: SQUAR – The Next Facebook?ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is exposing the world to the suffering of the Burmese Rohingyas. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority that represent 4% of Myanmar’s population. Though they’ve lived in Myanmar, also called Burma, for many generations, the country’s most recent Constitution denies them…
Full Article MYANMAR: “Our Walls Bear Witness” of the Rohingya Genocide