Insight Myanmar

The host of Insight Myanmar was invited to speak on the Light Forest Podcast.Here is a description of this platform:"The Light Forest podcast is a journey of exploration to bring more Light into how we live and regenerate our planet away from 'Dark Forest' systems of extraction and fear. Join me for conversations with change makers from around the world, as we explore philosophies, technology, spirituality, and history that can help us get to the root of our global problems. Together we learn how to play our part in the regeneration of our planet, starting with our own minds, to create a Light Forest world."The following description is added for this interview:"We get into some of the deep contradictions that run through Buddhism in Burma & policy making: How a country that sought to center around Vipassana and meditation became one of the most violent places? We learn the ways Buddhist practices such as Vipassanā and mettā, and other principles are helping leaders in resistance groups, forming a “non-violent” movement as a path to peace and reconciliation."

Episode #345: Does any and all engagement with the junta equate to some form of complicity? Moe Thuzar of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute challenges this notion by offering a nuanced perspective on ASEAN’s role in the Myanmar crisis following the 2021 coup. She argues that ASEAN’s diplomacy aims to exert influence and advocate for the Myanmar people’s aspirations. ​​Moe Thuzar begins by explaining ​​that there are “multiple Myanmars” beyond Naypyidaw​: “in the peri-urban and central areas, the delta, the periphery. And now the resistances.” Providing further nuance, she notes how for many, “ethnic armed organizations represent the aspirations of different communities and people in Myanmar broadly for change." Taking all this into consideration, she emphasizes the need for an ​“inside-out” approach that prioritizes the needs of ​these ​diverse communities, while challenging the atrocities committed by the ​SAC​; a principle, she argues, that is increasingly reflected in ASEAN’s Myanmar strategy.​   ​ Addressing ASEAN’s “non-interference” principle, Moe Thuzar contends that “with Myanmar as an ASEAN Member since 1997, I would even go so far as to say that Myanmar has been the most interfered with under the ASEAN framework.” She suggests reframing this term as “non-indifference,” which better reflects ASEAN’s concern for regional stability. She then goes into detail on ASEAN’s evolving engagement through the different chairs since the coup (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and looking to Malaysia in 2025), ​and ​​also ​describ​es​​ the varying approaches and the challenges in implementing the Five-Point ​​Consensus. While initial engagement with the junta faced criticism for potential legitimization, Jakarta’s chairmanship shifted towards broader stakeholder engagement. Yet Moe Thuzar understands the complexity of geopolitical concerns, and speaks of the need for a long-term, multi-year ASEAN strategy for continuity and effective coordination to ensure the end of violence.  The question lingers: can this regional endeavor untangle the Myanmar crisis? Drawing on ASEAN’s past diplomatic strategies, Moe Thuzar remains cautiously optimistic; yet only time will tell.

Episode #344: Dominic Faulder’s decades of reporting on Myanmar began serendipitously in 1981, when a Thai coup disrupted his travel plans and led to an impromptu journey to Burma for Thingyan. He was immediately struck by the atmosphere—enticing yet oppressive—and quickly became fascinated by the country's complexity, secrecy, and resilience. In the 1980s, he uncovered the unreported Mandalay fire, which destroyed a sixth of the city, and found that a similar catastrophe in the town of Taungdwingyi had also gone unnoticed. These early stories revealed the regime’s ability to conceal massive tragedies from the outside world.Faulder reported extensively on the events leading up to the 1988 uprising. He witnessed the bravery of students, the absence of police in early demonstrations, and the eerie silence before the storm. His proximity to key figures—Aung San Suu Kyi, U Nu, Min Ko Naing—gave him unique access as history unfolded in real time. Faulder eventually conducted a rare interview with General Saw Maung, a junta leader, an extraordinary feat given the regime’s paranoia. Despite Suu Kyi’s frustration that generals would speak to media but not political leaders, Faulder defended the role of journalists in documenting the moment. His reporting emphasized not just the courage of the protesters but the regime’s brutality, the fractures within the opposition, and the impossible balance journalists had to strike between access and truth-telling.Like many other past guests who have described their multi-decade relationship with the country, Dominic reflects on the pull that Burma exerts on those who come to be involved with its story. “Foreigners get involved with Southeast Asia and stay much longer than they ever anticipated. But Burma, it is the one story that you always go back to, [asking] what-ifs and why do you think that is?”

Episode #343: “I literally thought the world was crumbling!” Chloe, a young woman born and raised in Myanmar’s Inle Lake region, speaks viscerally about the country’s recent, devastating earthquake. The lake, known for its picturesque floating gardens and villages built on stilts, is one of Myanmar’s most iconic cultural landmarks. But the area is now in ruins.  And while the structural damage was severe enough, the people were traumatized. With minimal outside relief, and an ineffective and corrupt government unwilling and unable to help, Chloe felt she had to do something. So she and some friends launched a grassroots fundraising campaign. They started by giving out small cash donations but quickly realized the biggest need was reliable shelter. In previous disasters, monasteries had served as temporary sanctuaries, but these now lay in ruins, too. Emergency shelters were quickly put up, but they are flimsy and sometimes shared by more than one family. So she and her friends pivoted to the goal of helping families rebuild their homes.  Local initiatives like Chloe’s are driving the recovery, and in her view, it is this decentralized, community-led model that while necessary, is also inspiring. She talks about how a village will help one family with the biggest housing needs in rebuilding, then move onto the next, etc., until the whole village is taken care of. This kind of collective action has lifted spirits.  Yet the material needs and psychological effects of the earthquake remain acute, and in spite of the Burmese people’s famous self-reliance, they were already exhausted after the COVID pandemic, years of political repression and civil strife, last year’s catastrophic floods. So Chloe ends with a call to action for the global community, urging listeners not only to donate but to amplify the voices of those on the ground. “The more people know what’s happening in Inle, the more likely it is that more support and assistance will come, I believe, from inside the country and beyond.” 

Episode #342: Dhammaloka, born Laurence Carroll in Dublin around 1856, was a unique figure in the history of Buddhism and anti-colonial resistance. Much of what we know today about Dhammaloka comes from Laurence Cox, Alicia Turner, and Brian Bocking in “The Irish Buddhist.” Carroll left Ireland as a teenager, becoming a sailor and tramp, living on the margins of society. These experiences shaped his adaptability and led to his connection with Buddhism when he arrived in Burma. Unlike other Europeans, Laurence was not part of the elite—he was a working-class man who resonated deeply with Buddhist principles. Rangoon’s diverse environment enabled Laurence to align with marginalized communities resisting colonial rule. Eventually, he ordained as a monk Tavoy Monastery in Rangoon under the name U Dhammaloka. The monastery was aligned with the Thudhamma sect, known for its strict adherence to the Vinaya and social engagement. This gave Dhammaloka an opportunity for both a spiritual rebirth from his alcohol addiction, as well as a connection to the emerging, pan-Asian Buddhist movement. His commitment to the monastic life became a powerful personal and political act. Dhammaloka’s activism brought him into direct conflict with British authorities. He was placed under surveillance, charged with sedition, and his trial in Rangoon showed his symbolic role in anti-colonial resistance. Despite attempts to suppress him, his legacy endured. Dhammaloka also fiercely opposed Western missionaries, viewing their work as part of colonial domination. He famously said, “The British came with the Bible, the Gatling gun, and the whiskey bottle,” highlighting colonialism's cultural and territorial aims.  Carroll’s journey—from tramp to influential monk—reminds us of courage, solidarity, and the enduring desire for justice. 

Episode #341: As the military has suffered setbacks in the field, its use of indiscriminate aerial bombing has only increased, taking a deadly toll on civilians and leaving a legacy of trauma for survivors. In this episode, we take you inside a conversation with resistance artists and researchers who have been working with A New Burma, through their exhibitions in Thailand titled “When We See the Planes.” These events shed light on the tragic effects of air strikes – and people’s refusal to succumb to this campaign of terror. By using art, performance, sound, and storytelling, these exhibitions serve as a beacon to highlight violations of international law and establish a record for transitional justice, while remembering those who have lost their lives.  The events showcase the works of about twenty artists, including frontline Myanmar photographers, put together with the help of Thai curators. “When we do this kind of work, we want to it to be empathy-driven,” says Hnin, the founder of A New Burma. “We want to talk about this topic, not to give knowledge, but to speak to your heart.”

Episode #340: Having taught at Payap University in Chiang Mai from 2016–2022, Tony Waters mentored doctoral students grappling with Myanmar’s long history of war, repression, and foreign interference. His students’ pride in their cultures, alongside their questioning of the country’s fragmentation, helped shape his own understanding of Myanmar’s deeper crises and multi-layered history.One dissertation, exploring Ne Win’s Burmanization policy, particularly influenced his thinking. It traced the policy’s roots to the CIA’s Cold War counterinsurgency training, and its evolution into the Tatmadaw’s brutal Four Cuts strategy. Waters further critiques how America’s anti-Communist strategies, enacted covertly by the CIA, indirectly empowered the expansion of the drug trade.Waters argues that Myanmar’s ethnic militias are not reflective of any cultural deficiencies, as some outsiders have implied, but rather rational responses to the absence of a stable, inclusive state. He is also sharply critical of the Western aid sector, particularly USAID, for prioritizing donor interests over local needs, and perpetuating cycles of ineffective development. Skeptical of post-coup “political dialogue” initiatives, Waters asserts that the military junta is structurally incapable of genuine negotiation.Ultimately, he frames Myanmar’s continued suffering as the product of Great Power rivalries, stating that as long as China and the U.S. treat the country as a Cold War playground, real change remains elusive. Waters concludes by stressing the nuance required to better understand and engage in Myanmar, “I'm not looking for good and evil, I'm [just] looking for the story and trying to understand the processes.”

Episode #339: Aung, a full-time journalist and women’s rights activist, sheds light on the many hardships Myanmar’s journalists now face both operating from within and without the country following the 2021 coup and the all-important issue of gender equality in the field.Reflecting back on the transition period, Aung laments that despite the modest advancements made in women’s rights and gender equality, the military coup has undone these gains. Now, confronted with unprecedented challenges, she and her colleagues are tirelessly working through various organizations and initiatives to expose the pervasive gender discrimination and violence that persist in newsrooms.Their efforts also focus on creating networks that enable affected female journalists to connect, share experiences, and address these critical issues collectively. Pushing back against those voices that suggest these concerns should be addressed only after the junta is toppled, Aung insists this is partand parcel of the current revolution’s objectives. Her story gives an inside look at the obstacles and absurdities that Burmese female journalists are made to confront unduly.In closing, sheinsists that their fight for equality is not code for establishing a new matriarchy; instead, she imagines a world where men and women share the workspace evenly.“Personally,” she attests, “I do not want us exercising some form of dominance over our male colleagues. When we think about our organization’s structure, we think, ‘We will need to include their perspectives as well.”

Episode #338: “[The quake] revealed the tragic disconnect between the government's understanding—or perhaps, willingness to communicate—the severity of the disaster and the actual level of risk facing the population.”In a compelling analysis, Professor Dean Kyne critiques Myanmar’s disaster management, highlighting how decades of military rule have prioritized authoritarian control over public welfare. He illustrates this with the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, when the junta ignored early warnings and downplayed the storm to proceed with a constitutional referendum ... and over 138,000 people died.Kyne argues that instead of learning from this tragedy, the regime has doubled down, now weaponizing disaster response. Following the recent earthquake, search and rescue was blocked, aid was withheld, and military authorities even prevented international teams from entering. Humanitarian responder Kiran Verma, for instance, was stopped at gunpoint. “This wasn’t logistical failure,” Kyne says, “it was humanitarian suppression under authoritarian rule.” He notes that corruption further undermines aid distribution: local junta-aligned leaders steal and resell aid. Worse, young male relief volunteers are reportedly being forcibly recruited, and legitimate aid workers face harassment from pro-junta paramilitaries.Kyne proposes a three-part framework for international response: pragmatic, political, and moral. He urges aid agencies to bypass the junta, work through opposition-held zones, and commit to long-term recovery. Community resilience, he emphasizes, can start with education alone—empowering locals through training and digital platforms.He closes with a message of solidarity: “To the people in Myanmar, you have to be very strong. And for the international community members, please continue with what you have been doing, and please support the affected individuals.”

Episode #337: U Jagara's journey is characterized by a deep commitment to spiritual practice, resilience, and the pursuit of authenticity. Growing up in a small town in Quebec, his early life was marked by a desire to find meaning beyond the material world. Inspired by his brother, U Jagara took his first vipassana meditation course with S.N. Goenka, and eventually traveled to Europe, India, and Burma, where he ordained as a monk under Mahasi Sayadaw. He persevered in this endeavor despite the challenges posed by cultural differences and an unstable, political climate.Visa issues forced U Jagara to leave Burma, prompting him to continue his monastic journey in Sri Lanka. There, U he lived a simple ascetic lifestyle, re-incorporating the Goenka meditation method into his practice as he also ventured to India for long retreats, and spending time in isolated, mountain hermitages. He emphasizes the importance of embodying spiritual principles in all aspects of daily life, not just during formal meditation sessions.After 15 years, U Jagara took a break from monastic life, moving to France where he disrobed, lived a lay lifestyle, and fell in love. This phase offered insights into attachment, intimacy, and the balance between worldly and spiritual commitments. Eventually, Burma's reopening led him back; he re-ordained, focusing on cultivating advanced meditative states at Pa Auk Monastery.A key theme throughout his journey is balancing structure and freedom in spiritual practice. U Jagara stresses the importance of critical inquiry and creativity, cautioning against rigid attachment to any one tradition. He acknowledges the human vulnerabilities of monks, advocating for a realistic understanding of spiritual life. His story encourages embracing both discipline and freedom, while maintaining an urgency to pursue true liberation—a journey that requires resilience, openness, and a willingness to question and adapt.As U Jagara puts it, “Sometimes we need a slap from reality that helps us to wake up to the fact that we are going to die, and that the sickness and all these things are just part of our existence. When we are aware of that, then we will keep that kind of eagerness just to keep our life in that direction. It's a sense of urgency, saṃvega, that dimension in Buddhism.”