The Army of Poets and Students Fighting a Forgotten War
Jun 24, 2024
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Hannah Beech, a Bangkok-based reporter for The New York Times, offers a gripping look into Myanmar's civil war and the surprising coalition of young urbanites fighting against the military dictatorship. She discusses the remarkable gains of students, poets, and baristas who are joining rebel militias, defying expectations. The podcast highlights their commitment to democracy, resilience in adversity, and the striking dynamics of a fragmented resistance, illustrating a powerful struggle for freedom in a war-torn nation.
City youths are joining rebel militias in Myanmar's civil war to challenge the military dictatorship.
Resistance fighters in Myanmar are using homemade drones to counter the military's advanced weaponry.
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Myanmar's Civil War: Youth Join Rebel Militias for Democracy
A unique development is occurring in Myanmar's deadly civil war as young individuals from urban areas, like students and poets, are uniting with rebel militias to combat the military dictatorship. This unexpected alliance between city youths and long-standing rebel fighters is proving successful, with significant territorial gains made by the resistance forces against the military junta.
Rebel Tactics: Homemade Drones and Alliance Strength
The resistance fighters in Myanmar have leveraged homemade drones, initially simple devices upgraded with guidance from international pro-democracy allies, to counter the military's advanced weaponry. Additionally, the collaboration between city youths and ethnic militias, despite past divides, has created a unified front focused on achieving common goals and providing essential military training to new recruits, enhancing their effectiveness against the military forces.
Warning: this episode contains descriptions of injuries.
Myanmar is home to one of the deadliest, most intractable civil wars on the planet. But something new is happening. Unusual numbers of young people from the cities, including students, poets and baristas, have joined the country’s rebel militias. And this coalition is making startling gains against the country’s military dictatorship.
Hannah Beech, who covers stories across Asia for The Times, discusses this surprising resistance movement.
Guest: Hannah Beech, a Bangkok-based reporter for The New York Times, focusing on investigative and in-depth stories in Asia.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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