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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

01:13:34

The Long Road Home (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/03/22

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 invalidated

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02:09:35

Jonathan Crowley, Part 3

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/03/19

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

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01:46:37

Rage Against the Regime

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/03/12

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 different

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02:22:45

Thinzar Shunlei Yi

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/03/05

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 unified

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01:10:32

Visa Verses (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/03/02

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 the

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02:10:38

Ciao, Enlightenment

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/27

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 to Asia

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02:16:05

Cursing Tyranny

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/20

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 ripe to

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01:05:20

Hidden Ledgers (Emergency Edition)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/16

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, especially in

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01:10:51

Revolt, Rebuild, Rebirth

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/13

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. Battalions

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01:11:06

Dhamma at a Cross Roads (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/09

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, but she

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02:13:47

Bo Thanmani

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/06

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 coup

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01:04:02

The Blueprint of Resistance (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/02/02

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

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01:51:29

Navigating the Legal Pathways Down Under

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/30

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 saw

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02:35:41

Whit Hornsberger

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/23

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 happy!”

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55:12

Forging Solidarity Across Conflict (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/19

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 number on

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02:11:11

Sean Turnell

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/16

Episode #212: Sean Turnell's remarkable journey in Myanmar, spanning over three decades, reflects a life deeply intertwined with the country's tumultuous history.He first describes his extensive research on Myanmar's economy, culminating in his first book, “Fiery Dragons,” which highlighted the importance of understanding history and culture in economics.Turnell's involvement deepened when he joined Aung San Suu Kyi's government as an economic advisor in 2016, a time fraught with challenges like the

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47:11

Climb Every Mountain (Bonus Shorts)

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/12

Episode #211: Enze Han, an Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong, conducted ground-breaking research that analyzes patterns of conflict in relation to geography. His study, "Rugged terrain, forest coverage, and insurgency in Myanmar," analyzed the tumultuous years from 2010 to 2018.His findings revealed a strategic dance within the country's terrain. Conflict tends to avoid the extremes of high- or low-density forests, following an inverted U-shaped pattern related to conflict and

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01:12:46

Echoes of Genocide

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/09

Episode #210: Andrea Gittleman's deep familiarity with Myanmar spans 15 years, and is rooted in her work with the Burma Lawyers' Council in Mae Sot. With meager resources, the council educated Burmese migrants on their labor rights in Thailand while documenting atrocities back in Myanmar.Witnessing the regime's grim human rights record firsthand, Gittleman embarked on a mission to garner international momentum for a commission of inquiry.Today, as the policy director for the Simon-Skjodt Center for

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43:31

Emergency Edition: Burning the Midnight Oil

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/05

Michael Haack sheds light on the intricate world of US sanctions and their impact on Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprises (MOGE) and the wider Myanmar military regime. Haack, a familiar voice on the podcast, has spent two decades advocating for Myanmar, playing a pivotal role in the passage of the Burma Act.These latest sanctions, as Haack explains, cut off US financial services to MOGE, affecting loans and transfers, which may seem minor but actually have a profound impact. MOGE, being a vital source of

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01:14:17

You Say You Want A Revolution

Insight Myanmar ·

2024/01/02

Episode #209: Susan Zaw’s father and grandfather were both military men, and she had never really been a real fan of the National League for Democracy (NLD).But on February 28, shortly after the coup, everything changed.Her neighbor, a taxi driver, accidentally was hit in the neck by a soldier’s stray bullet. He was immediately rushed to the hospital for an emergency operation, but while in recovery, soldiers came and whisked him away.It is common practice for the military to apprehend those who

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