Episode #260: Beyond the Headlines
“I haven't been to any war areas before this,” says Helene Buchholz, a radio journalist for the German Broadcasting Network who traveled to Myanmar to document how the Burmese youth has been faring in its ongoing resistance to the military. “We thought that showing what was happening in Myanmar to our young German audience was an important story, [as they] are currently discussing the idea of conscription because of the war in Ukraine, so we thought that presenting the case of Myanmar would be interesting to them. Although the discussion in Germany is different to what young people are experiencing in Myanmar, this issue makes possible to have a point of identification. That is why we wanted to tell the story from the perspective of young people.”
Before the coup, Buchholz’s knowledge of Myanmar came mainly through her personal engagement with garment workers unions around the world. “In my private life, not my journalist life, I have these connections to the unions from Myanmar and we already had those contacts before the coup,” she explains. “And when the coup happened and they had to go underground or they were becoming illegal, they were very invested in the city and movement. We were already supporting them."
Like many journalists who have been reporting on Myanmar, Buchholz believes that the country’s struggle has not been getting the attention that it should from the international media, including her own country’s. She explains that in the German media, areas of conflict like Ukraine and the Middle East are heavily reported on; the former is geographically close to Germany, and there is a historical link with the latter. For this reason, Buchholz says that many Germans probably do not understand much about the Myanmar crisis, and that when the local news does cover a story, the scope and depth of the conflict is not fully conveyed.
This is why Buchholz wanted to personally visit, to better understand what was really happening. But because of her lack of experience in war zones, she had to first undertake a “hostile environment awareness” training, where she learned basic survival strategies. This included how to deal with fires and change tires, and she even participated in a hostage situation role play. “Why am I doing this?! What do I do it for?”, she kept asking herself through this rigorous course. Her answer was always the same, though: while there are reports in Germany on the Myanmar conflict, they do not really communicate how critical the situation has become. “Myanmar stands out as having possibly the best shot of not only liberating itself from military dictatorship, [but] establishing a lasting democratic system,” she says. “It just boggles my mind how we do not have more [German] people who are deeply invested in this! It is such an incredible story.”
Her trip had to be postponed because of various organizational issues, and ended up taking place after Operation 1027, the widespread, coordinated, military campaign led by armed ethnic groups. As Matthew Arnold recently explained, this campaign challenged the supposed supremacy of military dominance and led to increased defections. The regime responded by mandating a military conscription law for all young people, sending shockwaves and fear across the country, and resulting in more Burmese than ever before fleeing to join the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs).
In all, Buchholz spent four days talking to young people who had recently joined PDF camps outside. The training camp where she was based had received new recruits just ten days earlier, and she arrived while they were in the process of building the camps where they were going to live. On some mornings, she witnessed the recruits lining up before breakfast to chant in unison, not unlike the country’s Buddhist monks who recite suttas the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night; however, the meaning here was quite different. It was later translated for her as, “My sole purpose is to protect civilians.” Buchholz understood the repeated morning chanting as a daily reminder of why they were there. After the chanting, the recruits had breakfast, followed by duties like cleaning the camp, assembling the weapons, cooking, building the bamboo huts, etc.
The conscription law was eagerly discussed by veteran PDF soldiers and new recruits alike. During an interview with a former graphic designer, Buchholz learned that he had decided to join the fighting to protect civilians against the cruelty of the military. Variations on this theme were repeated throughout her interviews. “The military junta kills the elderly, women and children,” said another recruit.
Most of the recruits she interviewed had never handled a weapon, much less trained as a soldier. They spoke of how different their life had been before the coup, and talked about their lost hopes and dreams. “Not everyone wants to fight. But when you do not have a choice, many people say, ‘Okay, if I have to fight and if I don't have a choice, then I will go to the other side [the revolutionary side that opposes the military].’”
She also witnessed how professional these new recruits were, which more than impressed her, given the general scarcity of resources. The soldiers she talked with spoke of their appreciation for the training that the ethnic armies were providing, and of the closer bonds building between the Bamar youth and ethnic minority groups that had been fighting the military for decades. “They really appreciated that they got trained by those people who are fighting already for decades in the jungle, so they have all the knowledge.”
Overall, Buchholz’ impression was that the new recruits’ morale was quite high, especially in the wake of Operation 1027’s success. While the junta still has the advantage in terms of resources, and especially aerial power, it is hemorrhaging soldiers, and perhaps even more importantly, the ones who remain seem to be losing the will to keep on fighting. In contrast, the new PDF recruits are motivated and feeling empowered in the fight against the enemy.
Buchholz also had the opportunity to venture beyond the camps, although her interactions with the local population there were constrained by the volatile environment and strict security measures. These restrictions highlighted the inherent risks and complexities faced by journalists working in conflict zones. “We did not speak to civilians,” she explains. “We were not allowed to leave the car when we were going from one place to the other, because white people in that area are always suspicious! You never know if there's any informant between them, so they made sure that people did not see us because they don't know what we are doing there.” Still, she was able to glean significant insights through her conversations with PDF members. For one, she found that the local communities’ support is crucial for the PDF camps, as they provide essential supplies, including food, to sustain the resistance fighters. The risk is immense, though, as discovery by the junta could lead to severe consequences, including arrests, torture, or even execution.
“I'm planning to return when the junta is defeated, to celebrate on the streets,” she says, reflecting on her time here. “I will stay invested, and I will stay interested … And so even if I'm not crossing the border again, very soon, I will keep in touch with the people and maybe meet them soon again, in exile at least.”