On February 1, Myanmar will mark four years since soldiers and military vehicles raided the country’s capital at dawn, signaling the military’s forceful seizure of power from the civilian government. RFA Insider sits down with three staffers who’ve recently traveled to the region to learn what life is like for those actively resisting the regime and those who’ve chosen to flee.
Off Beat
Since the coup, Myanmar has descended into civil war as the military and various resistance groups battle for control of key areas across the country.
Jim Snyder from RFA’s Investigative team and Gemunu Amarasinghe from the Multimedia team recently traveled to Myanmar to report on life inside rebel-controlled territories in Kayah State. Insurgents have successfully seized large sections of countryside from the military forces, and now are undertaking a new operation: building a new state government. Jim and Gemunu explain the aims of the newly-established Interim Executive Council (IEC) and how residents are reacting to the IEC’s initiatives, including a new police force.
Additionally, they share stories from their visit to a rebel hospital in the area, where Yangon medical professionals and students who oppose military rule have moved their practice.
Double Off Beat
While production engineer Wa Than is present at almost all of RFA Insider’s recordings, he joins Eugene and Amy inside the recording booth this episode to talk about his recent trip to Thailand.
At 11, Wa abruptly fled Myanmar to the U.S. with his family to escape persecution from the then-military regime. Last November, he traveled to the Thai-Myanmar border, the closest he’s able to get to his home country under the current circumstances. Wa spent time with acquaintances from Myanmar who have since migrated to Thailand to escape the military’s conscription orders.
How difficult was it for these young people to leave Myanmar, and how were they faring in Thailand? What kinds of attitudes did young, displaced Burmese have towards Myanmar’s future, as well as their own? Tune in to hear these answers and more from Wa.