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PODCAST

Insight Myanmar

Insight Myanmar Podcast

Insight Myanmar is a beacon for those seeking to understand the intricate dynamics of Myanmar. With a commitment to uncovering truth and fostering understanding, the podcast brings together activists, artists, leaders, monastics, and authors to share their first-hand experiences and insights. Each episode delves deep into the struggles, hopes, and resilience of the Burmese people, offering listeners a comprehensive, on-the-ground perspective of the nation"s quest for democracy and freedom. And

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All Episodes

59:51

The Practice of Freedom

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/12

Episode #448: In the second of our three-part series with Steve Smith, a teacher in theMahasitradition, he continues reflecting on his half-century exploration into the country’s spirituality, culture, and politics, while also sharing what he learned from prolonged and intimate contact with some of the greatest meditation teachers and civil leaders of the day.Stevewent toSeikhun,MahasiSayadaw’s village,andstarted his practicethere.Hepracticed withlocal villagers, as well assenior government

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01:19:24

Poetic Justice

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/11

Episode #447: Maw Shein Win, aBurmese-Americanpoet, teacher, and literary organizer based in the Bay Area, reflects on her creative path, heritage, and commitment to poetry as witness and connection.Maw Shein Winturned to poetrywhile in college.She alsoimmersedherself in the punk and experimental music scene of 1980s Los Angeles.This affected the arc of her career, as collaboration across disciplines—music, performance, and visual art—became central to herpractice, andisa hallmark of herwork.Her

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02:54:58

Between Here and Home

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/10

Episode #446: This episode marks the beginning of a three-part series created during a three-day Digital Storytelling Workshop hosted by the Insight Myanmar Podcast, with support from ANU and IDRC. Over those days, emerging storytellers came together to practice something both ancient and profoundly human: telling stories. In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, the workshop served as a reminder that genuine connection — the kind built through care, honesty, and the courage to

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01:05:18

Framing the Dead

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/09

Episode #445: Born in Yangon in 1984 and raised in the small town of Ye, Shakeel grew up as a Muslim in a deeply divided Myanmar. His childhood was shaped by the tension between his artistic passions and the restrictions of a conservative religious environment. When he began to draw, his relatives told him it was forbidden by faith. School brought little relief—there, Buddhist classmates bullied him with the slur “kalar,” while only a few offeredfriendship. Books and music became his refuge from

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02:24:11

When Spiders Unite

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/08

Episode #444: After more than 40 years ofBurmaadvocacy, LarryDohrssheds light on the strategies that have exposed corporate and military abuses in the country, inspired meaningful action,and exacted costsfrommultiple incarnations of the junta. Inspired by his parents’ travels in the 1960s, he first visited Burma in 1982 and was captivated, with lifelong consequences. When he tried to return in 1988, however, the 8888 uprising and bloodycrackdownintervened. “I was not too politically focused –

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01:29:59

Children of the Revolution

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/05

Episode #443: Ei, a former member of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), shifted from armed resistance to humanitarian work, and now focuses on child soldiers and youth affected by conflict. She joined the PDF at 28, witnessing both bravery and abuse—including harassment and executions over financial disputes—which convinced her that real revolution required education and ethics. “We have different skills for education, for healthcare, for the citizens,” she said. “My mastery is not in my arms, it is

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52:29

A Scanner Darkly

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/04

Episode #442: Yin Maung, a Myanmar-born digital-rights researcher with Aung Media, examines how non-consensual intimate images have become a political weapon in post-coup Myanmar. He places this crisis within the country’s rapid digital shift. Although online communication surged during COVID-19, digital literacy, privacy awareness, and regulatory protections did not keep pace. As a result, Myanmar’s population entered a politically volatile digital environment without safeguards.Following the 2021

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02:09:29

Against Injustice

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/03

Episode #441: “I just thought, ‘Someone has to stay and bear witness,’” says Paul Greening, a veteran humanitarian with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). For decades he moved between crises—Afghanistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, East Timor—but Myanmar, and the Rohingya tragedy in particular, define his moral world.He first encountered the Rohingya in 2008 while in Aceh, when boats of desperate families arrived on Indonesian shores. Unprepared officials and global indifference convinced

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01:05:34

No Space for Dictators

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/12/01

Episode #440: Rick Hanson andBrangNan engage in a moving conversation on Myanmar's ongoing struggle for democracy, focusing on psychological resilience, Buddhist practice, and activism. Rick begins with a powerful statement: “No one can stop you from claiming the power of your own mind, but only you can claim it.” He underscores the importance of mindfulness and mental autonomy as tools to resist oppression, emphasizing, “To put it really bluntly, get the assholes out of your head.” He adds, “If I

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02:00:21

Far From Home

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/28

Episode #439: “The key human rights issue within Thailand and more broadly within the region is migration related,” says Ben Harkins, a veteran labor rights and migration expert who has spent over seventeen years working across Southeast Asia. From refugee camps to industrial zones, Harkins haswitnessedhow migration has become both a lifeline and a trap—an act of survival in systems built on exploitation.He began his career along theThai-Myanmarborder in the 2000s, where tens of thousands ofKarenand

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02:54:14

Leaving the Tradition

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/27

Episode #438: Jonathan Crowley shares his journey as a practitioner and teacher in the Goenka Vipassana tradition, highlighting the conflicts that eventually led him to step away after 35 years of dedication.Hedescribeshisgradual disillusionment with the organization's rigidity, particularly its failure to address structural racismin the aftermath of the George Floyd killing—unlike many other spiritual organizations, whichundertook meaningful changes. Alongside his wife, Jonathan wrote to the North

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02:14:21

Ghosts in the Machine

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/25

Episode #437: Researchers Myat SuThwe, a human-rights scholar, and Kyaw Lwin, a socio-legal specialist, examine how Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG)operatesdigitally after the 2021 coup in their studyDigital Governance in Exile. They describe a government forced online by warfare and displacement, assessing whether its services genuinely meet citizens’ needs through a “socio-technical framework” that weighs technology against inclusivity, language, and security.Myat SuThweexplains that

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01:35:49

A Doctor Without Borders

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/22

Episode #436: “We feellike we are notauseless person. You know, even[if]wehave toflee our country and come toother country, we are stillavaluedperson.”Dr. K, a Rohingya general practitioner, shareshisjourney from Myanmar to the Thai border, wherehenow supports the resistance by training medics and running makeshift clinics.Herecalls how, as a child,hisfamily moved to Yangon fromRakhine, buthad to travel in secret because the Rohingya were barred from legal travel.After achievinghigh grades at

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01:11:51

Inside the Digital Siege

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/21

Episode #435: “There is a person behind every piece of policy,” says Nandar,asenior digital security expert atDigiSecLab, reflecting on Myanmar’s transformation into a digital prison since the 2021 military coup. Alongwithresearcher and trainer Vox, journalist and consultant Myat, and political researcher Candle,they discusshow the junta’s technological control has reshaped daily life, eroded freedom, and forced citizens to adaptin order tosurvive.Nandar, who leads digital safety training and

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01:14:49

The Long Stalemate

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/20

Episode #434: “I don't see how there could be a new social contract for a post-war, post-conflict Myanmar.” With this stark observation, Henning Glaser sets the tone for his analysis of the country’s turmoil.Glaser is a German legal scholar based at Thammasat University in Bangkok, where he co-founded the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance. His work spans Asia, but Myanmar has become one of his deepest commitments. Since the early 2010s, he has

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02:29:16

Across the Universe

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/18

Episode #433: Raul Saldana's journey began in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he grew up in a Catholic household. As a teenager, he questioned the rigidity of Catholicism and turned to nature, finding inspiration in the vastness of the outdoors. Music also became a powerful part of his life, leading him into diverse spiritual practices. In his twenties, Raul joined an ecological community and was introduced to Native American rituals liketheVision Quest;helater explored Sufism, Hindu meditation, and,

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01:21:16

Scamland

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/17

Episode #432: Myanmar researcherLinJin Fuinvestigates the rise ofscamcompounds that blend human trafficking, digital fraud, and organized crime. His study,Scam haven: Responding to surgingcyber crimeand human trafficking in Myanmar,traces their expansion from Chinese “scam houses” into a transnational industry stretching across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Originally rooted in China’s underground economies, these groups migrated outward as Beijing cracked down and the pandemic restricted domestic

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02:16:07

Hit ’Em Up

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/14

Episode #431: “I’masniper,” says Maui, deputy commander of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF). He and four top commanders describe being pushed from peaceful protest into armed resistance after the 2021 coup. They say nonviolent methods failed when the military answered with bullets, massarrestsand village burnings, leaving youth to choose between submission or taking up arms.Maui—once an organic farmer and environmental activist—explains the moral conflict: killing is deeply

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42:30

The Long Baht Home

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/13

Episode #430: Ngu Wah is a Research Fellow at Knowledge Circle Foundation and a PhD candidate at Chiang Mai University focusing on migration and political economy. In this episode, she speaks about the struggles of Burmese migrant workers and the crucial role of remittances in Myanmar’s economy, shaping the vision she has for her country’s future.She explains that Myanmarremainslargelyresourcebased, dependent on extractive industries and agriculture. The State Administration Council (SAC) controls

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01:06:34

From Rio to Rangoon

Insight Myanmar ·

2025/11/11

Episode #429: Emmanuel Flores' journey into meditation began at the age of nine in Rio de Janeiro, seated before a candle.His formative years were marked by a quest for positivity,but without a solid practice. This changed at 20, when a friend's recommendation led him to a vipassana meditation course inthe tradition ofS.N. Goenka.This course was transformative,and sparked an interestinthe histories ofLediSayadaw, Saya Thet Gyi, andSayagyiU Ba Khin. Emmanuel's fascination with Burma's spiritual

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