Episode #140: Myanmar’s Voices for Freedom (Panel Discussion)
In the West, the Myanmar crisis has had a challenging time breaking through the cacophony of content and competing stories, and finding a receptive audience. It has been the mission of this platform to help the struggles of the democracy movement against the brutal military become better known. With this in mind, Better Burma, in partnership with One Light Global, was proud to host "Myanmar's Voices for Freedom” on December 14th, a panel discussion that brought together five, dynamic, Burmese nationals, each resisting the military regime in Myanmar in their own unique way. We invite you to hear the voices of these courageous guests.
After Ashin Sarana opened the session by welcoming the audience with good wishes and leading a short meditation, the discussion itself explored a wide variety of topics: the Rohingya crisis, issues regarding the country’s marginalized groups and ethnic minorities, gender equality and LGBT+ rights, the role of the international community, how allies can rally to support the democracy movement, public school education, Burmese Buddhism and the practice of meditation, and how art and creative expression have been used to resist military tyranny.
In addition to exploring these topics, the forum was created to help fundraise for two important missions: providing education in Mizoram to refugee children, and supporting villages in the Sagaing Division that were victims of military aggression.
The panel is made up of the following guests, each of whom had appeared previously on Insight Myanmar Podcast:
· Linn Thant: Currently the Czech Representative of the National Unity Government (NUG), Linn Thant has dedicated his life to bringing democracy and human rights to Myanmar. His work earned him a 20-year prison sentence, eight of them on Death Row, and he credits his survival amid those brutal conditions to his meditation practice. He is now leading the resistance against the Burmese military.
· Thiri: A researcher, fixer and documentary producer based in Myanmar, Thiri has worked as a freelance consultant for international Human Rights organizations and media outlets. She reports, documents and advocates about the on-going conflict in Myanmar, as well as on political, social and economic issues.
· Bart Was Not Here: Growing up as a Muslim under an authoritarian Buddhist regime, Bart was frustrated by a school system corrupted by propaganda, and the inability of non-Buddhists to assimilate into traditional Burmese culture. Access to American Pop Culture—Hip Hop, movies, cartoons, comic books, novels and magazines found in Burmese bootleg markets— provided him an alternative vision, a lens to the wider world. His artwork has animated the revolution since its earliest days.
· Ma Thida: A Burmese surgeon, writer, human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience, she is best known as a leading intellectual whose books deal with the country’s political situation. Ma Thida was elected recently chair of the Writer in Prison committee of PEN International, has been a visiting research associate at Yale University, and is currently a Fellow at the Martin-Roth Initiative in Berlin.
· Pyae Phyo Kyaw: A medical doctor from Magway, Pyae Phyo Kyaw came out as gay in 2017, and has become a prominent LGBT+ voice in Myanmar. Shortly after the coup, and joined by his partner, Dr. Aung Soe Tun, he set up a mobile medical clinic in Karenni State. Pyae Phyo Kyaw was a recipient of the APCOM organization’s HERO Award 2021, in the category of Social Justice.