ARTICLES

8 Dec 2023

October Offensive by Resistance Forces Exposes Gaps in Myanmar Military

Maung Maung Oo|Kyi Sin

A military offensive by anti-junta forces in October has exposed weaknesses in State Administration Council forces. While resistance forces seek to overthrow the junta, challenges remain given differing interests.

Myanmar Myanmar Military

28 Nov 2023

Time to Collect: The SAC’s Actions Come to Bite Myanmar’s Economy

Romain Caillaud

Myanmar’s civil war is showing up the clumsiness of the junta’s economic policies. The poorest households and workers will be the hardest hit.

17 Nov 2023

Myanmar Military Losing Control: A Culmination of Past Policy Errors?

Wai Moe

Years of shifting resources away from the Myanmar army and changing requirements for its senior ranks have led to its current weaknesses on the battlefield. Are the junta fielding men of straw?

Myanmar Myanmar Military

Labourers unload sacks of rice from a ship along a jetty in Yangon on June 28, 2023. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

15 Nov 2023

Myanmar’s Recent Crackdowns on Corruption: Law Enforcement or Reputation Repair?

Wai Moe

Two former confidantes of Myanmar’s Senior General have been convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison. Their oversight of economic portfolios, and failure to stabilise rising prices, suggest that they are also scapegoats for the regime’s policy failures.

Myanmar Myanmar Military Myanmar Politics

14 Nov 2023

Common Goal for Myanmar’s Warring Groups: Currying Favour With China

Kyi Sin

In an unexpected twist, the warring groups in Myanmar’s civil war have a unified goal: combatting cybercrime and ingratiating themselves with China.

China-Myanmar Relations Crime Myanmar Myanmar Military

20 Oct 2023

Who Decides the Cessation of Violence in Myanmar? A Grinding Battle for Control

Thida|Kyi Sin

As the violence in Myanmar looks set to spill over into another year of intractable struggle, both sides are dealing with morale and discipline problems within their armed units. The main suffering is borne by the civilians who, despite all the tribulations, remain defiant.

Myanmar Myanmar Military Myanmar Politics

Children seen behind a bamboo fence in Mae La, Tak Province, Thailand on on April 4, 2022. Mae La or Maela is a refugee camp in Thailand near the border with Myanmar (Burma), that was established in 1984 in the Tha Song Yang District. (Photo by Guillaume Payen / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

18 Oct 2023

Children in Myanmar: Caught in the Crossfire

Wai Moe

The junta in Myanmar has adopted a new tactic against resistance forces by arresting and detaining children in lieu of their family members.

Human Rights Myanmar Myanmar Military

30 Jun 2023

Disaster Relief Dysfunction in Myanmar

David Scott Mathieson

Five weeks after the country was hit by a Category 5 cyclone, the military junta in Myanmar continues to stonewall the delivery of much-needed aid to affected civilians. In particular, this highlights ASEAN’s continued inability to persuade the junta to implement the Five Point Consensus.

Disaster Management Myanmar Myanmar Military

12 Dec 2022

The Struggle for International Recognition: Myanmar after the 2021 Coup

Joanne Lin|Moe Thuzar

The military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021 created huge diplomatic repercussions, throwing into uncertainty the country’s international position and representation. Although the National Unity Government (NUG) appears to be the more popular choice for the international community, the prospects for its formal recognition remain uncertain.

Myanmar Myanmar Elections Myanmar Military Myanmar Politics

28 Nov 2022

Myanmar Junta Prisoner Release: Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

Ye Khaung Oo

It is too soon to celebrate the recent prisoner amnesty in Myanmar as a serious indication of the junta’s intention to change its ways for the better.

Myanmar Myanmar Military